


Shattered Souls

by AvionVadion



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Benefit of the Doubt, Betrayal, Character Death, Demyx being adorable, Family, Forgiveness, Friendship, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Multi, Murder, Revenge, Sass- SO MUCH SASS, Siding with the "bad guys", conflicted thoughts, pyromaniacs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-01-21 03:29:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 128,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12448743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvionVadion/pseuds/AvionVadion
Summary: Light begets darkness. There cannot be one without the other. The Keepers of Hearts, the guardians of man and those of whose hearts have been lost... Irene and Maria are in for quite a surprise. When she was young Maria had went missing only to never been seen again, yet thirteen years later Irene gets a visit from a certain Organization. Kidnapped, she learns of her role as the new Keeper of Light and the life she might have had if two certain people hadn't overlooked her presence all those years ago. Unfortunately, things aren't to take a very fortunate turn despite a reunion she thought impossible.





	1. Prologue

No matter where you turned death would be what greeted you. The cries of the citizens rang out as flames engulfed their land, ships burning at the port and sinking deep into the sea. Countless bodies littered the battlefield, the color red staining everything that the human eye could see. Innocents ran into hiding as the pirates and nobles battled it out, so many lives already lost despite the battle having just started.

A young woman ran through the crowds, a person belonging to neither party, and let out a loud battle cry as she swung her heavy blade against those that were determined as her foes. The skies had turned black and her single visible eye- which was usually that of a light caramel color- had begun glowing red as she used the darkness to give her strength. The great sword slashed through the hordes of fighting soldiers, their screams piercing her ears.

The land of Port Royal was a graveyard long before this moment, the war between Pirates and Nobles neverending, but it hardly held such a strong scent of blood in the middle of daytime until now. The woman raised the great sword high into the air, tendrils of black and violet swirling around it, and with a great force she rammed into the earth. A shockwave ran through the air until it engulfed all those that surrounded her, the force of gravity slamming them hard onto their fronts.

Exhaustion ate away at her, but as blood dripped from her wounds a young boy no older than thirteen ran towards her, waving a staff in the air and calling out, " _Curaga!"_ He had been following the woman just as he had been instructed to do, but wound up trailing behind as he attempted to help the citizens that had been wounded by the pirates. He was slender and adorned clothing shades in yellows and blacks, his dirty blond locks a fluffy curled mess. Electricity crackled off his feet and shocked any foe who got too close them, paralyzing them long enough for him to escape. "We have to stop this, Rachel! There's too many!"

" _No_. We need to get to the boats! We sink them then they can't escape. Once that's done-" The woman grasped the handle of her great sword with both hands, bringing it up and swinging it violently around her. Blood splattered against her form, warm and wet and sticky, and it took all she had not to cringe. "Once that's done… we round 'em up. Knock 'em out a-and hand them over to the nobles."

"But this isn't our battle!" His forest colored eyes narrowed sharply, taking note of how her stance was slipping. She was growing tired. "Our job is to destroy  _monsters_  and free the hearts! We're meant to  _protect_ the hearts of mankind- not make them stop beating! I refuse to take part in this! I'm not killing anyone!"

"And I'm not  _telling_ you to, Michael!" Her voice cracked and she turned to face him, only to have her eye widen. Reacting before the boy realized what was happening she charged forward, knocking him out of the way and blocking an ambush with the blunt of her blade. "Y-You don't have to accompany on this! Go back to the tower!" With a small grunt, her feet digging into the earth as she pushed forward, Rachel managed to knock the pirate off balance. Raising a leg she slammed her heel into his stomach and sent him flying. She let out breath, looking at the young boy sadly. "Go back to Yen Sis, Michael…"

His irritable expression only became darker as he pushed himself off the ground. "I'm. Not.  _Leaving._ You. Alone. It's my job to keep you alive, woman! You're not my mom- you can't tell me what to do!" As he finished his sentence he proceeded to lift the staff in the air, a cold mist beginning to form at the tip of the diamond. He pointed it directly behind Rachel, where a gang of pirates were running at them. " _Blizzara!"_

It hit on square on the chest and then proceeded to expand out, locking all three of them in a prison of ice. A path now cleared, Michael held his staff out to the side as if to gesture towards the docks and said, "That way. Now. I'll watch the rear while you worry about the front."

A wry smile spread across the woman's scarred face, her long black hair falling out of its pony and cascading into her face. An ache formed in the boy's chest as his eyes caught sight of the burns, knowing full well that he was the cause of it. She reached a hand out and placed it on his head, ruffling his bloodied hair. "Since when did you grow up?"

He pulled away and scowled, smacking her hand away and looking around quickly to make sure there were no approaching enemies. "Shut up and go already."

Rachel didn't argue then. Carrying the great sword without any struggle the dark-skinned woman ran for it, the boy falling closely behind as he cast healing spells left-and-right to the injured citizens. Michael watched as Rachel fought and bled and defended, the woman often using her affinity to knock her opponents down before dealing the finishing blow. She was strong, having more brawn than the average person. Strength was her greatest asset.

On quite a few other worlds they had visited people often mistook her as a war goddess, seeing the way she defeated the Unversed and whatever Pureblood Heartless that came into view. Unfortunately, despite all her strength and power, Rachel was human.

And that meant she had her limits.

Monsters were much more easier to dispatch than people, since they did not hold the weight of taking a life. When she was little Rachel had been found by Michael's predecessor and they traveled the universe until they wound up at a mysterious tower. There she lived and was raised by him and the old sorcerer that lived there, being taught how to use her powers and to value life. Michael joined the picture much later, but… once tales of the Unversed had gotten out…

Rachel felt she held a responsibility to stop them because of what she was. And because of what  _Michael_ was, and his (however reluctant) attachment to the woman, he decided to go with her. Through the years at the tower he had grown bitter and distant, but Rachel was- ironically- the one thing that brightened his stay there. He wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened to her. Even if he was only halfway through his training he wanted to keep her safe; he would never tell it to her face, but he thought of her as family.

As the current Keepers of Heart, the Keeper of Darkness and the Keeper of Light, it was their job to protect the missing hearts of the lost. They were meant to work alongside the Keyblade Wielders and protect the people. Protect Kingdom Hearts. They were meant to  _keep_ balance.

And when that balance is disrupted…

...Chaos is always sure to follow.

And now, because darkness and light were struggling to devour one another, and greed had grown so strongly in both the pirates and nobles hearts, people were dying. Despite all their efforts to do what they were supposed to and save the lives of people, Michael was now forced to watch as Rachel was made to  _take_ lives.

"Reflera!" Michael barely casted the spell in time to avoid the incoming dagger that had been aiming straight for his throat. Panic surged through him for a split second before he ducked down, slamming the end of the staff into the ground in an attempt to amplify his power. Electricity and light crackled off the weapon before exploding outwards, creating a large pulse and shocking everyone in a ten feet radius so intensely it left them unconscious. "That was… too much…"

He blinked a few times, dazed. Michael wasn't sure he was going to last much longer if he kept using up his mana like this. The boy stumbled forward and tried to locate his friend, having lost her thanks to the distraction. He ran towards the docks where he could see black and purple misty flickering into the air, flames beginning to run along a ship's side.

Rachel was strength.

But that didn't mean she didn't know how to light a spark.

Running up the wooden plan onto the boat the boy came to a stop near the top, eyes widening when he saw Rachel was actually  _struggling_ to get rid of the people attacking her. One injury after another…

Not knowing what else to do, Michael ran a few feet forward and held his staff up in the air, letting out a shout, " _Thundaga!_ "

Rachel took that distraction for the opportunity to slam the blade of the sword into the wooden floor and jumped up, kicking one of the attackers in the face and promptly doing a running spin that knocked them down. She landed with a loud  _THUD_ and pulled her sword out, water leaking into the boat. Sweat dripped from her face and exhaustion clouded her gaze. Michael knew at once she was out of mana; if she fought any longer with herself on such low energy Rachel was going to pass out.

"Rachel!"

Her breath was heavy and her eyes were about to close at any moment. "I'm not… afraid." She mumbled, watching through bleary vision as everyone began to round up on her. "I'm not afraid… to kill you." Her childhood had been nothing but war; it had been mere  _chance_ that she had been able to leave the world where she was born. She had learned of kindness and charity thanks to the people she had met, but Rachel… was still all too familiar with death.

And no one was going to stop her from defending Michael and the innocents of this world.

No one.

Not even… a filthy pirate…

Her heart thudded loudly in her chest and Rachel let out a curse, swinging the great sword around blindly in hopes it would hit her targets. Unfortunately only a few were hit, the rest of them able to dodge her blows fairly easily now. Something sharp sliced across her lower back and Rachel gasped, stumbling forward with a sloppy swing of her sword. Michael frantically went to cast a healing spell, but instead was forced to conjure up a shield around himself using his light.

Blades and gunshots rang out, and Michael curled in on himself with his hands tightly gripping onto his staff. Each time a weapon vibrated and bounced off of his shield the boy flinched, fear slowly taking over his heart. His eyes locked onto his friend, watching as she was slowly overwhelmed. A bullet in the shoulder, a slice on the leg, a cut on the cheek…

"Michael! Leave this place,  _now!_ "

His eyes shot open wide and his shield temporarily flickered. A blade slashed his arm deep and he cried out, raising his staff in an attempt to defend himself as he saw another sword coming down towards his face. He could feel the warmth of blood spatter against his skin, but… he soon realized it wasn't his. Rachel had broke out of her surroundings by using her darkness, red-and-black bleeding out of her single eye until they formed vein-like markings on her skin. With that she grabbed her sword and with one large  _SWISH_ of her blade the men in front of him had been sliced cleanly in half.

So cleanly in fact, Michael was left frozen in horror as he watched their dismembered body parts fall to the ground in front of him. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a strangled noise as tears began to blur his vision. He was a child. A child in the middle of a  _cursed_ war.

Was this really what he was meant for? He was taken from his mother and raised in the tower by a mouse and his master for  _this_? This was why he was born?

Michael didn't want this.

He didn't want to be a part of any this.

Forget the roles of the Keepers and what it meant to keep balance…

They were straight-up  _murderers_.

And he knew that. He knew Rachel would kill in order to protect people, but… this was…

This was nothing like the Unversed or Shadows. They were playing with people's lives.

Lives they were trying to get rid of in order to restore balance.

But… didn't that balance come from the state of the world itself? He didn't understand it. He couldn't. Everyone always seemed so keen to be rid of the darkness that they never thought that it should be held in equality with the light. That was the whole reason this world was falling apart- because darkness had begun to overwhelm its counterpart. Keepers so rarely meet their other that the true nature of their job had been lost to time, so it's a struggle each time to understand what they were supposed to do to help restore balance.

Identify the problem. Eradicate it. Restore balance.

But how are they to restore balance… by killing people? The darkness in their hearts is what brought such change. All this negativity has corrupted their very beings into creating such violence. Shouldn't they find a way to purify it instead? To strengthen the light until they reach unity?

The last time Michael saw his mother's face flashed in his mind as Rachel turned to look at him, her tears making far more sense now than ever before. When the mouse came to collect him it wasn't just because she was going to miss him, but because she knew what he was going to have to face. Rachel right now… was wearing that very same expression.

Standing over him, covered in the blood of her assailants… she knew his future wasn't going to be a pleasant one.

_BANG!_

Their eyes met just in time for a gunshot to ring out. Rachel's body lurched forward from the force of the impact, a look of surprise frozen on her face as a trail of blood bled out from her forehead. Then she was falling, and Michael found himself unable to breathe. Her body hit the floor with a sickening  _splish_ as she collapsed onto the blood and entrails of her deceased foes. Her great sword vanished in a purple light and in that moment Michael could physically  _feel_ the chain that linked them together as Keepers of Heart snap.

Michael remained there on the ground for only a moment, the pirate that had shot her beginning to laugh. The nobles who had been relying on Rachel's strength faltered in the battle, alarmed by the loss. A strange emotion welled through the young boy, an intense suffocating sort of pain wracking his chest as the darkness Rachel possed began to drift away, encasing her body in a dark glow as tendrils of black began to flow out of her. The pirates, seeing what was happening, stopped in confusion and the fighting between the parties stopped.

The tendrils and mist spiralled, sailing into the sky and high… high up into the stars.

Rachel… was gone.

No. No, no, no.

_No_. That didn't make sense. She was fine a minute ago. Well, not  _fine_ but… she was still moving. Why isn't she moving? This had to be a nightmare, right? They never  _killed_ people before, so… it had to be a bad dream.

Spots danced in Michael's vision. His stomach acids churned and he nearly dropped his staff as bile bubbled its way up his throat. His eyes were locked onto the unmoving body of his adult companion.

This was all because they didn't listen to Yen Sid, wasn't it? Mickey didn't want to let Rachel wander off because of her being darkness incarnate, and Yen Sid didn't think they were ready enough to face the dangers of the world. How… How was he supposed to explain this to them? That Rachel… That Rachel was… That his friend…

No. She can't be. He wouldn't let her. He can't  _lose_ her like this! She's not dead! She's not!

"R-Rach-Rachel-" He choked, climbing onto his knees and reaching out towards her. He could already feel the effects of the separation beginning to take place, the darkness that had once balanced him and strengthened him now so very far out of his reach. In his grief and denial of his friend's death, a swirling mass of rage and despair began to boil inside of him. "RACHEL!"

His green eyes flickered brightly, glimmering with the brilliant lights of silver and gold. Blinding white tendrils spiralled around his hands as he choked back a sob, the boy giving into the light and allowing the songs of the hopeful to have temporary control. His staff appeared in his hands and with a surge of furious magic Michael slammed the bottom of it into the ground. Dark clouds gathered together in the sky, hovering over the sinking ship and its allies as the flames engulfed them, and from the tip of the staff's diamond exploded a million white and gold fireworks. A great beam of light shined upwards into the loud rumbling sky, thunder clapping from within the clouds before lightning began to strike.

The light amplified his powers, increasing his element's strength by a mountain-fold, and created a thunderstorm so dangerous it began to sweep away and destroy anything that was around him. Friend and foe no longer mattered. The waves crashed into the ships and swarmed the land. The fire Rachel had started was now put out as all was dragged under the sea. Ships, soldiers, pirates… Michael.

The people left on the land evacuated before they would get taken in by the storm, no longer caring about rivalry and just desperate to survive. After a few minutes the skies cleared and Michael was left to sink into the cold abyss of the water, weapon gone and Rachel's body falling just a few feet away from his. His heart was beating, but he was no longer breathing… and as the world faded around him he reached out desperately towards the dead woman, ignoring the salt burning his eyes and wounds.

…

When the boy awoke he was no longer in the sea. Instead he was in a place of light, silver and golden and white swirling around in a way that comforted him. A warmth against his skin, energy full and restored. He was in intense pain and very dazed and confused, but… he knew where he was. He was in a corridor of Light.

How did he get there? What had happened?

He and Rachel were trying to locate a world with the Unversed to help be rid of them when they stumbled across Port Royal, and then… what? Pirates invaded… and they were forced to fighting for their lives. It was either kill or be killed, and with the city aflame Michael did his best to help the citizens out. He followed Rachel onto a boat a-and then… and then…

"Rachel!" Michael gasped and sat up, suddenly very frightened as the memories came rushing back to him. Pain erupted in his abdomen and throat and he coughed, tasting something very salty and gross. Sea water? His skull was throbbing so badly it was as if someone was taking bricks and slamming them against it. He looked around, only to panic when he realized her body was nowhere to be seen. "Rachel!?"

It made sense, given she was a being of pure darkness… It had always been impossible for her to walk through a corridor of light without being crushed by its purity, so there was no way she should be there now. Heck, Michael couldn't even walk through a corridor of darkness without something similar happening to him. But… she wasn't darkness anymore, was she?

"N-No…" He choked back a sob, lips trembling as the weight of the situation hit him. Rachel really  _was_ gone. She… She died to protect him. It was his fault. He did this to her. "R-Ra… Rachel…"

The emotional pain was so great he could barely even feel his physical wounds, a grievous cry erupting from his lips as he curled over. He should have tried harder; he shouldn't have been so careless! He's supposed to be the brains of their duo; he was supposed to be the clever one! Y-Yet he… he let his guard down a-and now she…

Michael slammed his fist into the ground, letting out a string of curses his mother  _definitely_ wouldn't have been happy about him saying. The boy curled his fingers into his hair and fell over, sobbing as a pressure built up in his chest, squeezing away at his aching heart. This was all his fault. He had always screwed up in the past, but this… this was so much worse. His best friend was  _dead_ because of him.

"I'm s-sorry…"

He didn't even have her body to bury. His dark "light" was gone now.

Yen Sid and Mickey would never forgive him. Rachel…

A young woman of twenty-seven. Michael had been told that Keepers of Heart often die young and it was extremely rare for them to make it their thirties, let alone twenties, and that Rachel had been lucky thus far to survive so long, but that did not mean he was prepared to lose his other half. The emotional pain of losing a close friend and the physical pain of their connection breaking… it was just too much.

Almost an hour in of his breakdown, Michael blacked out from exhaustion. When he awoke again it took ages for him to decide to get up and move, and his body was sore from all the exertion and injuries he sustained. Though feeling undeserving to be healed, he cast  _curaga_ on himself and watched as the wounds and stinging salt faded away. Unfortunately, because of how long he waited to cast the spell, the large gash on his wrist became a fairly nasty scar. He was certain he had a few left on his torso and back from a few cuts he had earned, but… at the moment he just didn't care.

In fact, all he felt was this cold emptiness inside. It hurt, yet, excruciatingly so, but… he just… didn't feel anything. Only pain and sadness, and the intense desire to just  _stop_. To stop walking, to stop standing, to stop  _being_. What was the point of it now? Rachel was gone.

First his mother, then a woman he considered a sister. He doesn't even  _remember_ his mother's voice… and now, Michael is scared he'll forget Rachel's, too.

The Corridor of Light eventually came to an end. Though reluctant the boy stepped out onto a patch of bright green grass. He noticed with a dull interest that the tower had moved around again and so the surroundings were mildly different. A part of him wondered why he tried to shut Rachel out so much in the past, but he knew fully well why he did. He just didn't want to get close to anyone.

But she had been so determined and he just… gave in to her whims. She was bright and sweet, and understood his homesickness. She made the tower a home for him. And now… looking up at it… the building felt more like a prison he was going to have to walk into.

And Yen Sid, Mickey, and the three good fairies were going to be his wardens.

Grounding his teeth together as his lips started to curl back, Michael squeezed his eyes tightly shut and forced his feet to go forward. His hands shook as his side and he curled his fingers into fists, opening the door and making his way up the staircases. How were they going to react? Definitely furious. Upset…

Oh. There's Rachel's bedroom door.

Decorated with with a moon and stars her wooden door stared back at him, as if a cruel reminder of what had transpired. A room that would no longer have a person to return to it. A room that would no longer be filled with laughter or warm smiles. A room that would surely be closed off for years to come. A lump formed in Michael's throat, an almost strangled sort-of cry welling up, and he was unable to stop a small whimper from escaping.

He was only  _thirteen_. What was he supposed to do without her? How was he going to keep on living here without Rachel beside him? Even when her previous companion died and Michael had taken his place as the new Keeper of Light, she never hated him. She never pushed him away. She accepted him wholeheartedly and made it her goal to worm herself into his little heart.

It wasn't his fault the Light chose him. He just happened to be born at that exact moment the previous Keeper of Light died. But… even though  _Rachel_ had been able to accept him… he doubted he would be able to accept his new other.

With her death a new Keeper of Darkness was born. A Keeper of Darkness that wasn't  _her_. How could he accept someone else that wasn't Rachel? They would never be as kind or caring as her, or joking a-and annoying… he didn't want anyone else.

Even when… he burned her face trying to learn fire… Rachel still hugged him and told him it was alright. That accidents happen.

How could he live… with someone taking her place?

As selfish as it was Michael prayed Yen Sid and Mickey would never find the new keeper, uncaring about how being away from his other half for so long would cause him to be gravely ill.

Tearing his gaze away from the door he continued up the staircase, passing by another door the fairies had made for Michael's predecessor so many years back. Finally, after what felt like an eternity (and yet still somehow not long enough), Michael reached the door to the study. He could hear voices on the other side, and recognized them to be the old man and mouse bickering over the current situation with the Unversed. The boy stood there for a long moment with his head hung low, not wanting to open the door and not wanting to see their expressions once he told them what happened.

He wasn't even sure  _how_ to explain what happened.

Before he could make up his mind the door in front of him opened. Michael's head shot up and he inhaled sharply, startled, and found himself meeting the surprised gaze of Mickey Mouse. "Michael!?" The mouse gasped, only to catch sight of how bloodied and torn his clothes were. "M-Michael, what happened to you!? Where's… Where's Rachel?"

Mickey stepped back into the room, giving the boy space to walk in. Yen Sid stood up from his chair and turned, looking at the young healer in alarm. The old sorcerer raised an arm, gesturing for the dirty blond to walk into the room and over to his desk. Refusing to look up, Michael did as told until he was in front of Yen Sid's desk, Mickey a few feet away from him.

"Tell me, child, what has happened? Explain yourself." Yen Sid's voice was quiet, tone struggling to remain calm. "What transpired while you were away?"

Mickey looked horrified, but his expression was nothing compared to Michael's. The pain etched itself onto his face in such a way  _everyone_ could feel his shattering heart. The boy didn't respond for a good minute, but when he did his voice cracked and became almost inaudible. "We… We were o-outnumbered. W-We thought… we wanted to…" He brought his hands up, looking at his bloodied palms and remembering the battle. "We  _believed_ w-we could help. We wanted to stop the Unversed, b-but then… we wound up in a world w-with… I just…"

He squeezed his eyes shut and fell to his knees, legs giving out before him.

"I- _I'm sorry_ , Master, I-I'm so sorry-! I-I couldn't-I couldn't protect her a-and now- she just- to save me, Rachel-" Michael's words died on his tongue and he cried, tear streaming silently down his face as tried to quiet his sobs. Mickey walked over slowly, placing a gloved hand on the child's shoulder sadly. "H-Her body- the... the sea- I'm s-sorry!"

Without a word Yen Sid closed his eyes as grief forged its way onto his features. With a deep breath to recollect himself, the old man waved a hand in the air. Three little lights colored red, blue, and green appeared, flying into the room and expanding. "Flora, Fauna, Merryweather… please take Michael away to his room. I'm… afraid Mickey and I must prepare a funeral ceremony for… Rachel."

The reaction was instantaneous. The three fairies gasped in unison before panicking, Fauna bursting into tears and pulling out tissues from thin air, Merryweather demanding details and wondering  _why_ this happened- Rachel was so strong no one should have defeated her, and Flora was trying to calm them down but was crying herself. Merryweather, the blue fairy, began to roll up her sleeves as she took out her wand, sniffling loudly as she shouted, "Wh-Who did this? Tell me! I-I'll turn them into a toad! N-No, a-a slug! H-How dare they take away cute little Rachel!"

"Sh-She was s-still so young!"

"P-Poor girl…"

Yen Sid raised a hand, frowning deeply. "Calm yourself, Merryweather… There is nothing we can do now to change her fate. What's done is done. We do not have her body, but we can still ensure that her spirit will rest in peace."

"But what then, Master Yen Sid?" Mickey piped up, looking at him inquiringly, eyes red with tears. He sniffled, bringing a gloved hand up to rub at his face. "We have to locate the new Keeper of Darkness. Rachel always had a good heart… even if it was filled with the darkness of others. What if the new Keeper is different? If they are taken before we can find them, and gets persuaded to work for the wrong person…"

"Banish such thoughts, Mickey." Yen Sid ordered, turning his hardened gaze onto the mouse. "We  _will_ find them and raise them all the same; darkness is not our enemy. It is dangerous, yes, but the Keeper is different. As seen with Rachel it is not purely evil."

"But Master-"

"That is enough. We will speak of this no further. Fairies, please… take Michael away."

The boy looked up at the old man and saw him avoiding his gaze. Guilt crushed Michael's heart and he found himself unable to argue or protest as each of the fairies moved near him, hands resting gently on his back and arms as they began to guide through the next door, walking him up the magic staircase that led higher up into the tower. Their words as they mourned just continued to pierce into the child.

"I-it's as if we lost our darling Rose all over again!" Merryweather whimpered. Flora quickly moved over and wrapped her arms around her, flying in the air. "Wh-Why must this keep hap-happening?"

"I-I don't know, dears," Fauna said as she dabbed at Michael's bloody face with a handkerchief only to wind up using it to wipe away her own tears, "but… but I'm sure R-Rachel wouldn't want us to cry so much. Sh-She hated… s-seeing others  _upset-_ " Her voice cracked and she stopped talking, breaking out into tears. Michael stood there in silence, allowing their words to sink in, before he pulled away and began to head up the staircase himself. "H-Huh? M-Michael, sweetie, w-where are you-?"

"My room." He muttered quietly. "I want to be alone."

"But-" Flora began, pulling away from Merryweather.

"I said  _alone_." With that he continued walking, leaving the three distraught fairies behind. His room was in the tallest tower, his wooden door engraved with diamonds and stars. He hated this room. It was a constant reminder of the day he had left Radiant Garden to come here. Closing the door behind him as he entered he made his way over to his bed, which was covered with a bunch of star and moon-shaped pillows, up against the wall where the main window was. He stared at the horribly-sewn diamond pillow Rachel gave him one year for his birthday.

She was an awful seamstress, but she had wanted to get him something even though they had been forbidden from leaving the tower. He sighed, tearing his gaze away to look outside, before grabbing some clean clothes so he could bathe.

Just before he left the room he looked out the window one more time, wishing with all his might the new Keeper of Darkness was never found.

…

Four years later the Unversed finally disappeared, as well as five very talented Keyblade Masters- three of which were masters, one in training, and another a teenager that was barely as old as Michael himself. However, with the disappearance of the Unversed, a new enemy began to appear: Emblem Heartless.

They attacked every world they could find, destroying everything in sight and stealing the hearts of those worlds as well as their inhabitants. Michael knew something about the hearts being stolen was affecting his well-being, but he had already grown so ill from the separation that it hardly mattered anymore. He was so used to feeling his light diminish a little bit every day that he just stopped caring. He knew now that Rachel would have wanted him to live, so that gave him a little motivation to keep moving through the day, but… it still hard.

He could hardly train without nearly passing out nowadays.

Two more years later and Michael had trouble just standing. Bed-ridden and under the constant care of the three good fairies he was unable to withstand the pain of the separation. The chain between Keepers had been broken for far too long… but Michael didn't want to die. Not anymore. Rachel gave her life to save his and he didn't want that to go to vain.

Even if Keepers didn't live long… he wanted to try.

And so when the Heartless managed to make their way onto this world he found himself determined to get rid of them and protect everyone else that lived there. To protect the memories the tower held. The darkness was corroding his heart away, eating at his light and poisoning him more and more with each passing second, but Michael needed to do this. He felt he had to. No. He  _wanted_ to.

Yen Sid was at Disney Castle and the three good fairies were away visiting Aurora. It was up to him.

Yet… determination did very little when one's body was so weak you could barely defend yourself. His cleverness faded away into reckless, and his guilt faded away into will to survive. Even as his heart was ripped out of his chest by a Heartless, he still clung to a desire; the desire to make Rachel proud.

But then his body collapsed against the ground, his nineteen-year-old form flickering with light and black. Even though he was poisoned by the darkness, his heart would always belong to the light. His body threatened to disintegrate, the light keeping it intact gradually leaving his body in search of its new host, and for a moment his body  _did_ erupt into fragments of white. But then it returned, his body having been a vessel for light so long it was unable to fade like other bodies after his heart had been taken.

Perhaps it was a curse, but as the remainder of the light left both his body and his heart his body remained lifeless, the light of the Keeper leaving its host in search for a new vessel. He was nothing more than an empty shell…

...while a girl, born at this exact moment, in a far off and unknown world, was given this light. And her older sister, who had been ill for reasons unbeknownst to her and her family, began to grow healthier with each passing moment she remained near the infant. A smile bright on her face, excited to play with her siblings once the family was to return home.

A girl who still had hope in the world and saw everything in the special way children did, blissfully unaware of the future to come.


	2. The Beginning of it All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Easy there, speedy. Don’t rush yourself. Now let’s go; you heard the Superior. To your brand new room!” A hand on my back, he started to guide me out of the room. I took a nervous glance behind me, almost as if any one of them were going to stab me in the back at any moment, and upon seeing them all vanish in the dark portals I looked back at Axel. “What’s the matter, kid? Scared?”
> 
> I didn’t respond, giving him an uncomfortable shrug instead. I gripped the inside of my jacket pockets tightly, the oversized jacket hanging crookedly on my small form. “A… A little…”
> 
> “Good. You’d be stupid if you weren’t.”
> 
> “O-Oh…” My voice cracked, squeaking a little at that. “Th-That’s encouraging.”

It was impossible to live life without regrets. Whether it be by something you did or said, or something you didn’t do and ended up wishing you had. Because of that, one should never pause or falter. Don’t waste time thinking of the “what-ifs” and “maybes”. Just get up and do it. Don’t worry yourself.

Of course, that being said was so much easier than actually doing…

With each obstacle I faced, I stood there wondering what I should do. I overthought things constantly, pondering the consequences and coming to the conclusion that out of all forty scenarios and events that ended poorly, only one or two would work well-and even  _then_ I feared it would all go terribly wrong.

Perhaps that’s why I was stuck here in the first place, in an entirely white room that was supposed to be my new “room”. Filled with strangers in black coats, who… claimed to be “protecting” me. Magic existed, and I… wasn’t exactly who I thought I was. On the bright side, I guess I finally knew what happened to my sister all those years ago. Or at least, I’m pretty sure I knew.

…

The day had started off normal. Granted, I suppose everyone’s days did… unless you just woke up on the wrong side of the bed; then your day would be very much  _not_ normal, because you’d be grumpy and cranky, and all you’d want to do is sleep. Although I  _always_ liked sleeping, though most of that was because due to being as sick as I was, I just really lacked energy to stay awake or do anything.

It sucked too, because that meant boredom. And not doing anything, not being  _able_ to do anything, often led me into a depression where I laid there for hours questioning my existence and why I was still there when it was my older sister who had gone missing.

I had been three years old-I was far more defenseless than a nine year old and easier to capture. It was in our own home, too-not that I really remember what had happened. Dad often told me stories, mother normally refusing to bring anything up about it. One of the many reasons why they divorced I suppose, what with their conflicting views on everything.

Add a missing child and super sickly child into the mix, and you get nothing but turmoil. I counted on my fingers the years between us, constantly trying to keep track of what age she was now. I didn’t know who she was, what she looked like, or even her personality. We only had pictures of her from before she was taken.

Dark hair, pale skin-as a baby, she looked rather Asian despite being American. Our family had a  _lot_ of Europe in it, and since I had the most Indian traits out of us four kids (I having three older siblings, one which being the missing sister I previous mentioned) I looked rather Indian when I was born. Apparently mother cried after I was born and saw my face, for I looked a lot like “Maria” back then. I’m told I still do.

That in turn made me wonder about her appearance. She had dark hair in the pictures-was it the same dark brown chocolate like mine after all these years? And her eyes-were they brown? Dad said they had been hazel. I was the only one out of us four children with brown eyes, Darian and Clair both having Dad’s blue.

Was she tall and skinny like Darian, or short and wide like me and Clair?

These thoughts passed through my mind almost every day. I couldn’t imagine getting kidnapped; I got scared every time I thought about it, and nearly burst into tears whenever I tried to think about what she had been through or  _is_ currently going through. She must have been so scared… I certainly would have been.

After so many years had passed, the police just stopped looking for her. They decided she had been killed, her body hid. The thought always gave me nightmares. And with my cousin, Ally (short of Alyssa), being the total psychopath she was I started to ponder about my own wellbeing as well.

 _She_ was a nightmare. Knowing she was going to be a freshman in my High School once I reached Senior year terrified me. What if she tried to ruin everything I built up? What if she harmed my friends? I didn’t have many-a few I kept very close to me. Skylar, Eliza, Andrew-they were extremely important. I couldn’t imagine living a world without them.

Unfortunately, I knew a day would come when we would have to part-but that wouldn’t happen until after High School ended and we would all be struggling to keep in contact. I already had to deal with Clair and Darian moving out and leaving me alone; I just had to prepare myself for when I wouldn’t see my friends on a daily basis.

A nudge on my shoulder snapped me out of my dark thoughts, as I had been pondering the meaning of being without anyone I cared about constantly in my life, and I jolted in alarm. Skylar snorted in amusement when she saw how startled I was, more than used to my skittish personality but still finding it funny.

“We’re done with  _Bellavia,_ ” she informed, and I quickly rushed to put up the jazz music sheets into one of my music folders. We had quite a few measures at the end where we didn’t have to play anything. “We’re playing…” I could tell she resisted the urge to groan. “We’re playing  _Shut up and Dance_ now. Did you grab your Flute?”

“O-Oh, uh, yeah! Um, where-” I fumbled, looking on the ground on either side of my chair before realizing I had placed the Flute case  _under_ it. I quickly popped my reed out of my Oboe, put it in my mouth, and got to work putting the beautiful yet painful-to-play instrument away. Mr. Reinholt politely waited for me and another bilingual player-a Trombone and Bassoon player named Marcus-to switch sections and get both of our instruments together.

Once we were ready and had put our other instruments up, Mr. Reinholt directed the band and we started to play. My fingers flew, eyes scanning the music sheet and trying to make sure I didn’t accidentally skip a measure or play too fast, and I strained my ears to make sure I could hear the clarinets as they were on the other side of the room.

Skylar, while an experienced Oboe player, had some trouble with the song as it was really fast and it was one of the parts that were especially hard to play for such a difficult woodwind instrument. Flutes, clarinets, oboes… we always got the short end of the stick, didn’t we? I don’t even play clarinet, but my friend Eliza certainly does and I couldn’t even get a sound out when I tried. It made me wonder why Oboe was so easy for me when it was one of the hardest instruments to play.

Oh, my aching cheekbones and limp lips hurt thinking about it.

Eventually we reached a rest-the woodwinds did-and we listened to brass continue.  _I looked into her eyes, I think I saw the future; I realize, this is my last chance!_ I jokingly started to sing this with Skylar, who laughed and groaned at the same time because of how much she hated the song, but found it amusing when I sung along. I elbowed her in the side with a wide grin, singing, “She took my arm, I don’t know how it happened; we took to the floor and she said~!”

Quickly pulling my Flute up to my lips, Skylar doing the same with her Oboe, we started to play again.

It was near the ending when the bass drum suddenly started going way off beat. Everyone eyed the section oddly, still playing, only to stop all at once when we realized that it  _wasn’t_ Richard playing. Mr. Reinholt didn’t even both to signal for us to stop, we having done so before he even noticed the newcomer, and stared in shock at the forty-odd something year old man twirling the bass drum mallets in his hands.

He had stopped playing when we did, and just grinned crookedly at all us as he pretended the mallets were a pair of guns, making shooting motions at us. “Well, hello ladies and gents~! You all got some kind of party goin’ on here something?”

Wh-What…? Pushing the sleeve of my  _Hufflepuff_ jacket up, I nervously reached a hand out to grab onto Skylar’s  _Slytherin_  jacket sleeve. “Um, Skylar,” I whispered, utterly confused, “what’s going on?”

“I have no idea,” She answered honestly, looking just as lost. Her dark eyes glittered inquiringly, my Cherokee-blooded friend probably wondering if she needed to beat him up. She was  _not_ someone you wanted to make mad, and I luckily happened to have never been on the receiving side of her anger. I was usually the one trying to dissuade her from attacking and calming her down. Actually, thinking on it, she was probably glad he interrupted. She got to stop playing the song she hated. “Is he wearing an eyepatch?”

“Uhh…” Pushing my glasses up and turning my head to look at him, I ignored the rest of the whispers coming from the band as I tried to make out his face. A… scar seemed to go across his jaw all the way up to the bottom of his left eye, which was… yellow? No, gold. Amber? Oh god, it’s hard to tell. Maybe it just looks that color from so far away? “Y-Yeah, he’s wearing an eyepatch. You’re not crazy. Well, unless we’re both crazy. Wait, what am I saying? We  _are_ crazy.”

She snorted, giggling in agreement, and I flinched in surprise when the man suddenly tossed the mallets behind him over his shoulder, the drumsticks making a very loud clanking noise as they bounced off the wall and hit some of the snares. “Oh, wow. Okay.” She blinked, stopping her laughter abruptly.

“Well, now that the fun’s over… What’s say you all tell me where I can find a little girl with brown hair? Shoulder length, round glasses-brownish green eyes? Five foot two?”

Um… looking around the room, I don’t see anyone with that description. Well, except maybe Miranda. She had shoulder length brown hair and greenish eyes. She was taller than me though, and I was the same height as the one he gave out.

“Her name is Irene Taylor!”

At that everyone went silent and, like the idiot I was, I pointed at myself dumbly. He blinked, grinned, and next thing I knew he was right in front of me. I shrieked, almost knocking myself backwards and making my chair do a flip I was so startled. Hands on his hips, his smirk broadened. “Well, then… hey, Axel! You got the picture, right? This look like her? Her hair isn’t shoulder length at all!”

His gaze flickered over to Skylar. With the similar round face and dark eyes, if it weren’t for her curved button-nose and caramel skin we could have passed off as the same person. She was a bit bigger than me, but not by much. Her dark brown hair-hair just a tid bit darker than mine-was shoulder length.

“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” He joked. “Unfortunately, you aren’t the one I’m looking for. Heart’s filled with plenty of darkness though… Hmm…”

Okay… I don’t know who he is, but I’d  _really_ rather him not get so close or say weird things to her. Scared, and fully aware of all the eyes on us, I reached out and wrapped my arms around Skylar’s shoulders, pulling her towards me as I bit out, “Mine! Find your own darkness!”

“Aw, so sweet.” Skylar laughed. I gave a grin, already prepared for the pick-up line war that may or may not be about to happen.

“Sweet enough to give you a cavity?”

“Of course! But if I’m your darkness, does that me you my light?”

“Well,  _naturally_ , my honey.”

The stranger turned away, hand over his mouth and the other wrapped around his stomach, and made gagging motions. “Gross~! I think I’m gonna barf.”

“If you do, I’m not the one cleaning it up.” A man suddenly spoke up, appearing out of nowhere from the back of the room.

Everyone turned, some making obnoxious comments about his appearance and how he had an impossible waistline for a guy. Others were about how attractive the newcomer was. And, just like with how our school’s band always did, Karl, Maya, and a few others started to make moaning noises.

Most of the band laughed, whereas I just groaned and whined loudly about the disturbingness that was their behavior. I released Skylar and covered my ears, trying to block out the noise. The emerald-eyed redhead raised a thin eyebrow at everyone, probably questioning their sanity and if he should walk out of the room, before he carefully maneuvered his way around the crowd and stopped next to the middle-aged man.

His voice was smooth, alluring even, with the slightest tint of a rasp to it as he spoke. Holding out a piece of piece to the man they both looked at it and then at me. The redhead said, “It certainly  _looks_ like her, though her hair is shorter than what’s on this…”

“Glasses are more square. How long ago was this? Damn it, Vexen.” The middle-aged man, Mr. Eyepatch as I am now dubbing him, cursed. “You know, that dude makes my life way more difficult than should be. Well, what’re you waiting for? Grab her, Axel.”

Axel wasted no time in doing as told, and I nearly dropped my flute as he pushed the music stand out of the way and on the ground, all the music papers flying on the ground, and grabbed my arm, forcefully pulling me out of my seat. “Why am I always stuck doing the icky jobs?” He complained, eyeing Mr. Eyepatch sourly.

“Because you’re Number Eight and I’m Number Two; that’s why.”

“Oh, shut up. You think I don’t have that memorized already?”

Mr. Reinholt had stepped off the podium at this point, looking ready to yell at he walked up to them. “Excuse me, but who are you gentlemen? What do you want with Irene?”

“So it  _is_ her!” Mr. Eyepatch exclaimed, his smirk broadening. I was beginning to wonder if his face hurt from smiling so widely as was. “Perfect! That makes this so much easier. Welp, pack your bags, squirt. We’re goin’ on a fieldtrip and we ain’t comin back.”

Eyes darting between him and the redhead, I fearfully tightened my hold on my Flute and wondered if I should hit them with it. But then if I did that my Flute would get destroyed and we don’t really have the money to fix it. Not to mention that if they got brain damage or really badly wounded, mom or dad would have to pay their medical bills. Oh, but with my lack of arm strength it might not even hurt at all, so maybe I  _can_ hit them…?

Axel rolled his eyes at my teacher and yanked on my arm, causing me to cry out and stumble backwards as he started to drag me away. “W-Wait!” I cried out, trying not to fall, but my attempts were in vain as his long strides were impossible for me to keep up with. I slipped, toppling on my rear and nearly pulling a muscle in my shoulder due to him still holding onto me. 

Only Skylar and Eliza got up, ready to rush over to help me. Nice to see how much everyone else cares; I know I’m annoying because I don’t shut up, but seriously? Remind me to never help you guys with anything again. Wait, no-Chris, Eliza’s ex and who used to be one of my best friends in Middle School, got up and was running over here.

My eyes widened and I shrieked, seeing him about ready to Football tackle the guy who had me. Unfortunately, Mr. Eyepatch got in the way and… “Chris!”

The brunette was sent flying to the other side of the room, crashing into the clarinet players’ stands and knocking them back onto them. He groaned, pushing himself up. Seeing the violence ready to unfold I tried to stand, attempting to pry the fingers of the redhead off of my arm.

“L-Let go! P-Please!?”

“Please?” Axel echoed, eyes wide in surprise. He laughed. “Aren’t you cute? No, sorry, kid- can’t. I’ve got very strict orders and honestly, I’m really not in the mood to be turned into a dusk. Got it memorized?”

“D-Dusk?” What? How can you be turned into a time of day? I stopped struggling, staring up at him in confusion. Mr. Eyepatch was still toying with Chris, pushing him back and sending him flying time and time again. He had a bit of blood on the side of his face now, along with some bruises forming on his arms. Mr. Eyepatch was beginning to look bored. “J-Just stop! Leave him alone! What do you guys want!?”

“Want?” Mr. Eyepatch asked, raising an eye as he focused his amber orb on me. Chris stopped trying to fight him at this point, remaining on the ground next to the many stands that he had landed on. “Why, we want  _you_  of course. As if that wasn’t obvious!”

“But… But why?”

What was even happening right now? I want details; an explanation, please!

He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it and raised an arm, lights forming. In a bright flash, there was the sound of bullets and Mr. Reinholt screaming and stumbling away in surprise as the phone he was calling on was suddenly shot out of his hand. The piece of plastic was shattered into multiple pieces, a kunai-resembling object sticking out of the ground, and everyone was silent as they stared in horror at the very real threat in front of them.

There, in Mr. Eyepatch’s hands was some sort of weapon that was mixed between an crossbow and a gun.

My voice died on my tongue.

“Now then,” He grinned, twirling the weapon in a similar fashion to how he did the drum mallets, “anybody else got issues with us taking little Miss Light Keeper here?”

It was safe to say he wasn’t prepared for the stand Skylar used to whack him in the back. I couldn’t help it; I burst out laughing. It was so anti-climatic, and the whole scene was so terrifying I just didn’t know what to do. Tears were welling up in my eyes, my heart thudding painfully in my chest, and I took that as a decent sign to try and get out of the stranger’s hold.

Standing now, I wasted no time in shoving my shoulder in the man called Axel’s chest. I was just short enough that it worked, and lucky enough that he had been standing next to the ledge of the floor that led up to a higher level of ground. His heel hit it and he let out a surprised shout as he fell back.

And… now what? Pin him down? He’ll overwhelm me easily. Do I run? My stamina isn’t that great; my lungs are really bad and I didn’t want to have to use my nebulizer again in the middle of school. At least I have my rescue inhaler in my binder. Besides, with this guy’s long legs he might catch up to me in seconds flat. I didn’t want to be beat up.

Granted, after doing what I had… I probably  _will_ get beat up. So, uh…

Awkwardly grabbing his wrists I tried to pin him down, but he easily overwhelmed me and threw me off. I yelped and clamped my mouth shut as I rolled painfully down the floor’s levels, wincing once I finally landed near the podium where Mr. Eyepatch was groaning and trying to sit up. Unfortunately for him, Skylar kept whacking him back down with the stand every time he tried to get up to his knees.

“Why you little~!” Axel looked furious, his hips swaying as he brought his hands out to the sides, and a pair of chakrams appeared in his hands from flames. He twisted his torso, preparing to throw them, and my eyes widened in horror as I braced myself for what was probably going to be death. “I’m gonna  _scorch_ you into-”

“Number Eight, what are you doing!? Number Two, get off the ground. You’re supposed to be  _apprehending_ the girl, not causing her harm. How hard can it be to grab one defenseless teenager?”

“Z-Zexion!?” Axel practically choked. His chakrams vanished in the very same flames they appeared and he stumbled. “W-Wait, how long have you been there? You didn’t hear any of that, did you?”

Looking up at what appeared to be my savior, I stared at the slate blue-haired male in gratitude. Granted, what he was saying made it sound like he was part of one of my attackers, but still. He stopped me from being mincemeat toast, so…

I watched the man, who was probably just a year or two older than me, narrow a single brilliant blue eye at the redhead. His voice, while low, was soft as velvet-calm, collected, and rang clear as day and resonated within one’s bones. He had the kind of voice that made you  _want_ to listen to him.

“I heard enough to learn just how ill-suited you were for this mission. You and Number Two are disappointments… Behaving in such a manner; you two are nothing more than children. You were taking a while, so the Superior sent me here to make sure you were doing as ordered. It’s a good thing he did, too…”

Sitting on my knees now I stared up at him, breathing heavily due to all the exertion. It’s been awhile since I had to act up like that. I stiffened when he suddenly focused his gaze on me. His piercing blue eyes locked me in place and I was unable to move as he walked forward. Proud, dignified… it was clear this person had a high opinion of himself.

“Stand up.”

I did as told, resisting the urge to run far away. He eyed me for a moment, his single visible eye scrutinizing. “You are Irene Taylor, correct? I apologize for my comrades behavior. They’re rather… temperamental.”

“Hey!” Mr. Eyepatch exclaimed indignantly, only to be quickly knocked back to the ground by Skylar and her stand.

A light smirk spread across the newcomer’s face, the man named Zexion looking rather amused at his ally’s position. His long silver hair covered one side of his face, his bangs reaching just a couple inches below his chin and grazing his collarbone, while the back was much shorter and messy in length..

“Hurry and get your things together,” He told me, acting much more polite than Axel or Mr. Eyepatch. “A return trip is slim and if we are to…  _guarantee_ your safety it’s best to get what you need now.”

...I really should be running away right now. But  _damn it_ if this guy didn’t know how to sound persuasive. I hesitated.

“Would it make you more comfortable if we were to leave first, and have Number Eight and Number Two grab your things for you?” He offered.

“Irene, just because he’s cute doesn’t mean you should listen to him!” Skylar’s voice broke me out of my trace. I jumped, startled, and looked at her with wide eyes. She whacked Mr. Eyepatch one more time before stepping back, the man huffing and propping his chin up with his hands once he got the message to stop trying to get up.

“H-He’s not-I mean,” I cast a quick glance, deduced that yes, he was rather attractive, before looking back at Skylar and declaring, “You know I don’t think about that stuff! I only like fictional characters!”

“He  _looks_ like a fictional character!” Good point. But so does mister spiky red hair over there.

“Number Eight, grab her belongings. Irene-” I was in the middle of giving a flustered comeback to Skylar when a hand snatched my arm, pulling on it. “We’re departing. Number Two... “ Zexion paused and I stumbled, barely stopping myself from crashing into him. “Report back as soon as you are able.”

“Wh-What!? Are you serious right now? Dude, come on! You’re going to leave me with a bunch of hormonal teenagers!?”

Zexion gave no response, leaving the middle-aged man to fend for himself as he dragged me away. Axel grumbled to himself as he walked over to the chair I had been sitting in, some people debating whether or not to tackle him or let me get kidnapped, before deciding on the latter, and Axel packed up all my things. Music, instruments, waterbottle, binder, and chromebook…

“Always stuck with the icky jobs,” He muttered, following behind.

“Axel! Hey, Axel! Dude, come on, are you seriously leaving me here, too!?”

“Sorry, man.” He apologized, not sounding very sorry at all. He smirked. “But my hands are full. Got it memorized?”

I stumbled after Zexion, the man still greatly taller than me but much shorter than Axel, so he was easier to keep up with. What was he- five foot six? Seven? Somewhere around there. Axel had to be a decent six foot two. “Wh-Where are we going?” I choked out, still scared but slightly more comfortable around this guy than the other two.

“Somewhere… safe.” He said carefully, turning his head just slightly to look down at me. “Come now, it’s this way.”

“O-Okay?” I made a face, scrunching my nose up, and knit my eyebrows together. I was so confused. One minute I was being attacked, my best friend was beating up another guy with a stand, one of my ex-best friends who I don’t really talk to anymore got all beat up, and now I was willingly following someone who worked with the guys who were doing all the beating up into a place I-don’t-know-where?

Axel, who was following us with all my things in his arms, easily caught up and overheard. “You’ll understand soon, kiddo. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.”

I gave him a sour look, completely unconvinced, and blinked when I realized I was doing something exceedingly stupid. Oh god… maybe I should run away now? Zexion wasn’t holding onto my arm that tightly. But at the same time what would I even do if I escaped? Wouldn’t they just find me again? They made weapons appear out of  _thin air_ ; it would be pointless trying to fight back!

Well, unless you’re Skylar… who just so happens to be an experienced street fighter. Why are all my friends so violent? Skylar, Mira, Dorthy… well, Dorthy is more manipulative than violent, but you know… There’s also Eliza and Andrew, but Eliza wasn’t that angry a person. Andrew has some anger issues, but he’s gotten over that pretty well considering what he used to be like in Elementary.

Wait, why was I still thinking about this? Ugh… I don’t even know. I give up. There’s no point; I’ll get captured either way. This is so lame…

Zexion turned the corner, stopping at the band department entrance, and I nearly crashed into his back. I blinked, only to gape with big eyes when he waved his hand and an oblong mass of… of  _something_  appeared out of the air. Dark and purple swirls mixed together, reminding me of what you might describe “darkness” as, and I was more than a little startled when Axel walked up and went through it.

“Wh-What!?” My voice went up multiple octaves, something reoccurring and unsurprising, which unfortunately ended up causing me to be on the receiving end of jokes due to how high pitch it could get. “H-How did- where did he go!?”   
  


“Through the portal.” Zexion replied simply. I lifted my head up and stared at him incredulously, and also sort of disbelieving that he thought I didn’t realize that.

“N-No, I meant-I meant what’s  _through_ the… the portal?”

“Our headquarters and your new home. Come.” He tugged on my arm and I felt my heart race with fear, knowing that this was the end game. I was completely  _and_ utterly screwed, and I was proven correct when we stepped through and all air stopped entering and exiting my lungs.

It was almost as if a hand had reached deep inside of my chest, wrapping around my head and squeezing the life out of me. Fire ran through my veins, boiling like acid, and my skull pounded so hard it felt like my brain was about to explode at any minute. I gasped, choking, and wasn’t even able to get out a syllable as my legs gave out.

My limbs were numb and I could just barely hear Zexion let out a small curse. One minute I was on the ground, the next I was slung over a shoulder as sirens rang in my ears. Darkness tried to envelop me, threatening to engulf me and swallow me whole, when white suddenly blinded me and coated my vision. I barely managed to cling onto consciousness as I was suddenly thrown like a ragdoll onto something soft.

I didn’t have the state of mind to try and figure out what I had landed on, too busy gasping and coughing as air rushed back into my lungs. Zexion was bent over, hands on his knees, breathing a bit labored. Someone clearly wasn’t that physically strong.

“I miscalculated…” He breathed. “To think the Dark Corridors would affect you so quickly and deeply… Vexen needs to hear of this. Axel-Number Eight, where are you!?” He stood up, chest still rising and falling heavily, and looked around. He found the redhead appear through another portal, all my things gone and out of sight. “...I trust you delivered her things to her room?”

“Of course.” He responded lazily, waving his hand in the as he walked over, the portal closing behind him. “As if I wanted to carry that stuff around any longer. I wasn’t made to be someone’s bellhop, you know.”

A small smirk spreading across his face, Zexion responded, “You could’ve fooled me…”

“Wha-? Now, that’s just mean.” He teased, a hand on his hip as he leaned down closer to Zexion’s height, his other hand on his chest. “You’re breaking my heart here, Zexion.”

“That would be the case... if you had one to feel with in the first place.”

“Hmph. Fair enough.” Axel retorted, standing up and looking down at me as I began to calm down. He placed his free hand on his other hip, raising an eyebrow. “So… what’re we gonna do about her? She looks about ready to keel over.”

“I was just about to inform the Superior of her arrival. Watch over her, will you? It would not bode well if something were to happen to her.”

“Whatever.” I was sitting on my knees at this point, trying to get a decent control of my breathing. I brought a hand up to my chest, fingers lightly wrapping around my throat. Scared, I looked up at the two men with big eyes. I wanted an explanation-what had happened to me? What was the reason I was even here? Maybe I should have hit and run like I’d been thinking. “You okay there, kiddo?”

“F… Fine,” I choked out.

“Great. Well, see you later, Zexion.”

The blue-eyed man gave a simple nod, waved his hand, and went through a portal that had opened up. I watched in awe as it closed behind him, the dark spirals vanishing into nothing. A hand waving in front of my face took me out of my trance and I jolted, looking at Axel in alarm when he suddenly decided to plop down next to me on the couch Zexion had dropped me on.

I stared distrustfully at the man sitting next to me, wondering what exactly was running through his mind. “Wh… Why am I here?”

“That’s the big question, isn’t it?” He responded, kicking his feet up and letting them rest on the coffee table. He brought his hands up behind his head, lacing his fingers together as he let out a big yawn. “Nah, I couldn’t tell ya even if I knew, kid. The Superior and Saix are being awfully “hush, hush” about the whole thing. All I know is that I had to grab you and bring you here for safekeeping.”

 _A job which you failed utterly at doing,_ I thought dryly, scooting a little bit away from him. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything about it. His eyes remained closed, his breathing slowing down so much I decided he was sleeping. We sat there for a few minutes, and when the man still showed no sign of moving I got up and waved a hand in front of his face.  _He really is asleep?_

Maybe I can make a break for it then? I’ve no idea where I’m at, but… maybe I can find an exit? Oh, but then what? I have no money; I can’t pay for a taxi or anything. I  _could_ call the police; I do have my phone, but if they ask for my location what am I supposed to say? I’m in an empty white room filled with even whiter couches and surrounded by men in black? Sure, they’ll love me for that.

Running away clearly becoming pointless, I plopped back down onto the couch and slumped into my seat, crossing my arms over my chest and hugging myself. Through all the fear, I felt a slight empty feeling form in my chest, the familiarity of loneliness hitting me like a ton of bricks. How long am I going to be here…? What did they mean by “safekeeping”?

Every time I got another answer, it just seemed like more questions piled up.

Seeing another portal appear out of thin air I jumped and, despite not knowing he was and that he tried to kill me earlier, quickly woke Axel up as I feared he might get in trouble if he was caught sleeping. I didn’t know what being turned into a dusk meant, but I doubted it was something very pleasant.

He opened an eye, staring at me, before turning his gaze to the portal and sitting up just as Zexion and two men I did not recognize stepped out. They wore black coats as well, but their appearances were even weirder than Mr. Eyepatch.

Both were overwhelmingly tall, and the first man-the one who appeared to have the most authority- had dark brown skin and cold eyes the color of molten gold. His silver hair was long, stopping at his shoulderblades, and his bangs were spiked back. Compared to the man beside him, if it weren’t for Zexion, he would have looked like the friendliest one in the room.

With high cheekbones and pointed ears, eyes the color of amber glared down at me. A scar in the shape of an “X” decorated the top half of his face, traveling from his nose to his forehead, and his long blue hair cascaded down his back. With how neatly brushed it looked, I could only assume he put time into his appearance. This man looked like he wanted to skin me alive.

‘’So  _you_ are the one we have been looking for.” The dark-skinned man greeted, speaking slowly and with a deep voice. “Welcome to our wonderful abode…” As he spoke, he spread his arms out as if to gesture to the building we were standing in. “I do hope you’ll enjoy your stay here. We will do our best to make sure you are…  _comfortable_ … in your new home.”

I probably should have gotten off the couch like Axel did a few seconds ago, but I felt that if I stood up my legs would just give out. “Wh-Why am I here? What do I need “safe keeping” for?”

“You don’t know…?” He asked, looking mildly surprised. “Of course… you were raised on a world that abhors magic. It would only be natural that you are unaware of your true identity.”

...What? I’m so lost. Despite all the words building up on my tongue, I chose to remain silent and waited for him to finish. Zexion, Axel, and the blue-haired man all waited quietly and patiently for the silver-haired man to finish speaking.

“Long ago… beyond the farthest stretch of time… before all creation… there existed light and darkness. The light was everywhere, bathing all the worlds in its brilliance. But darkness hid, residing within the hearts of the people… People fought over that light, wanting to keep it for themselves, and the darkness grew stronger. This caused an unbalance within the hearts of man, chaos overwhelming the land, and caused all the worlds to scatter.

Seeing this, the skies fought. The Sun and Moon forged together, creating an eclipse to bring about one of the most powerful beings; the Keeper of Hearts. By combining the Light of the Sun and the Darkness of the Moon, they brought forth a child that held equal amounts of darkness and light, one who would be able to bring stability to the chaos and create a balance in all of humanity’s hearts.

But the strength and magic the powers both gave him was unbearable… there was too much of each inside of him and if something was not done it would inevitably destroy him. So, in a pity, the almighty Kingdom Hearts split the child in two. One became the embodiment of darkness, filled with the strength and power to defend humanity from evil, and the other became the embodiment of light… a being so pure, it filled the world with magic and hope, healing those who have delved too deep into despair.

These people are known as the guardians of man, those who protect the hearts and the balance within them. They…  _allow_ those lost to become whole once more.” An almost sinister grin spread across his face, his amber eyes flashing as he pressed a hand against his chest, but I remained silent and politely listened. What he said sounded like crazy, but it would be rude to interrupt his monologue. “If one is to be overwhelmed, the stability will break and the world will be wrought with destruction. One can not live without the other, and every time another dies a new one is born. We call these people the “Keeper of Hearts”, the guardians of Light and Darkness. Sixteen years ago, the previous Keeper of Light died, and six years before that the Keeper of Darkness.

We are still searching for the defender, but we, the Organization, have finally located  _you_ …” Raising a hand up, he pointed at me. I blinked, leaning back slightly despite the wide distance between us. “The  _new_ Keeper of Light. The Healer. Unfortunately, due to your separation with the Keeper of Darkness, your body has been poisoned in an attempt to compensate the darkness your other half would have held. Your Light is fading, and as such we must work with haste in order to locate the other Keeper.”

I blinked multiple times, staring at him completely dumbfounded. So, wait… I’m basically the reincarnation of a person who died sixteen years ago? How does that even work? I’m not even sure if this a dream anymore or not; I was imaginative, but this was too crazy even for  _my_ crazy brain to think up.

Wait, six years before I was born the Keeper of Darkness happened…

_Maria?_

No. No! Really? C-Could that- _no_. The chances of that happening were so  _low!_ Not to mention I was being completely ridiculous. Just because she was kidnapped, and I was kidnapped, did not mean we were both kidnapped by the same people or for the same reasons. Wait, since I “willingly” followed due to a lack of judgment was it really considered a kidnapping? Ah, whatever. “Are there other people looking for the Keepers?” I didn’t believe it for one second, but I decided to play along for now. I didn’t want to risk being beaten or killed…

The memory of nearly being sliced in half made me scoot farther away from Axel, who eyed me strangely when he saw me do that.

A smirk seemed to spread across the silver-haired man’s face, his eyes pleased if not mischievous. “But of course. Those are the people we are trying to protect you from… If they got their hands on you, who  _knows_ what kind of things they would do? They would use you for their own gain... All we wish for is to keep you safe.”

Bullcrap. I’m calling bullcrap on this. “Um… right. O-Okay. Uh… what do you mean my body was “poisoned”?”

It was the blue-haired man that spoke up. “If they are separated for too long, the Keeper of Light will unconsciously pull in the darkness around her in an attempt to balance out the darkness she had been lacking with her other half gone. That is dangerous, and in some cases even lethal, and will cause them to become severely ill. It’s the same way for the Keeper of Darkness.”

“So the reason I have so much trouble breathing and get sick constantly is because I got a whole bunch of unwanted darkness in me?” I questioned, voice completely monotone as I stared at them blankly and pointed at myself with both index fingers. Wonderful, just wonderful. On the bright side, this should be a dream and in the dream I  _might_ get to see my sister again. Keyword being “might”.

The silver-haired man, whom I’m pretty sure is the Superior, nodded with an overly polite smile.

“...Well then.”

“I understand that this is a bit of a shock to you,” He started to monologue again, “having come from a world where everything was normal and you were left unaware. But I assure you, things will become easier to accept through time and you will be calling this castle “home” before you know it. You will have your other half soon, and the Organization… will become a second family to you. In the meantime, however, while we are searching for the Keeper of Darkness… why don’t you rest up in your new room? I’m certain you would like some time to absorb all this information…”

I opened my mouth to protest, about ready to demand I be sent home, before closing it. Arguing wouldn’t get me anywhere, and I really didn’t want to make any of these people angry. I sighed in defeat, slumping my shoulders, and stuck my bottom lip out in a pout as I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets. My fingers slid against my phone as if to remind me that I still had some form of contact if necessary. Good thing I constantly turn my phone off to save battery… here’s to hoping these people have internet.

“If I have to…” I murmured, more to myself than anything. Knowing my luck, they probably didn’t.

“You’re surprisingly compliant,” Zexion noted curiously. I lifted my gaze to look at him, only to become more upset when I saw his face was void of almost any emotion. Looking on it, barely  _any_ of these guys had much emotion on their faces, nonetheless their voices. Axel and Mr. Eyepatch seemed to be the exception to that, always either smirking or grinning, and I’ve really only seen Zexion annoyed from when he had scolded Axel for trying to kill me. Other than that, his eyes were like an empty canvas-apathetic and cold.

“Not much point in arguing,” I responded quietly, answering as honestly as I could. I disliked lying, and there wasn’t really much point in doing it now. I was far too in this mess to try and get out of it. Zexion seemed to approve of my answer, nodding just slightly in what I’m assuming was understanding-or at the very least agreement. “Um, am I walking to my “room” or… or am I going through another one of-of those… portal-thingies again?” My voice got smaller the more I spoke, increasing just slightly in octave as the words tried to get stuck in my throat.

The silver-haired man gestured to the redhead beside Zexion. “Axel will be escorting you to your room… You are to remain there for the time being. I will have members bring you food and drink occasionally, so you do not... “waste away” as some members would put it...”

“O-Okay… Th-Thank you…” Do I get up off the couch now? I-I think I should. Wow, this is awkward. Tentatively I pushed myself up and stood, wobbling a little as my limbs still did not want to work normally. Axel placed a hand on my shoulder, keeping me steady, and I tried not to flinch away. The image of him ready to throw those chakrams and slice me in half were still very fresh in my mind.

“Easy there, speedy. Don’t rush yourself. Now let’s go; you heard the Superior. To your brand new room!” A hand on my back, he started to guide me out of the room. I took a nervous glance behind me, almost as if any one of them were going to stab me in the back at any moment, and upon seeing them all vanish in the dark portals I looked back at Axel. “What’s the matter, kid? Scared?”

I didn’t respond, giving him an uncomfortable shrug instead. I gripped the inside of my jacket pockets tightly, the oversized jacket hanging crookedly on my small form. “A… A little…”

“Good. You’d be stupid if you weren’t.”

“O-Oh…” My voice cracked, squeaking a little at that. “Th-That’s encouraging.”

Axel just laughed at me. “It was a compliment, kid! Just relax, will ya? I’m sorry about trying to slice you in half earlier, but I was having a pretty bad day. Promise I won’t do it again-I’d get obliterated if I tried. Kinda glad Zexion didn’t bail on me-or maybe they’re turning a blind eye to it? Either way, I’ll try to play nice from now on.”

He wore a grin, but his voice didn’t have much feeling in it. It was sort of… strange, really. Kind of robotic. I tilted my head, looking at the ground thoughtfully for a moment, before looking back up at him. “Where are we?” I resisted the urge to look down into the empty abyss that was below us, there only being walkways and staircases in the area we were now in.

“Oh, that’s an easy one. We’re in a castle located above the World That Never Was. It’s the Organization’s Headquarters.”

...So if I fall off the stairway and into the deep empty abyss, I would topple down onto the world below us or something? This is seriously a messed up dream. Well, realistically speaking, I’d probably just end up in the castle dungeons or something.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, kid. It’ll be fine~. There’s plenty to-okay, no, that’s a lie. There’s not a whole lot of stuff to do since you’re not a member. But, hey! If you get lucky you might be able to leave the castle every now and then as long as you have an escort.”

“So… I can leave?”

“I said if you’re  _lucky_. Probably won’t be able to do anything but eat and sleep and wander the castle until we find your other half. You’re one of the purest of hearts-try and look on the bright side of all this. You’re safe from all those baddies who want to use you. Think of it this way; if we didn’t grab you, someone else would have. And those people-they’re not nice. Got it memorized?”

“A-And you are?” I choked out, watching as he stepped back and sighed. He brought a hand up, scratching the back of his head as he rested his other hand on his hip.

“You’re not  _listening_ , kid.” He grumbled to himself about something, turning around so he was facing me completely. “This is for your  _safety_. We-me and everyone else who are in this castle-we’re trying to  _protect_ you. And you acting like this? It isn’t helping. Let us do our job in keeping you safe, and you can laugh and lolligag all you want.”

Maybe I don’t want to laugh and lolligag, huh? Maybe I want to go home! I grudgingly followed Axel up the staircase and down multiple hallways, each and every room, wall, and floor being decorated in the same blinding white and steel gray. Eventually we arrived to a room, and Axel stopped in front of the door.

“Superior will probably send someone to bring you something to eat-as he said before-so until then make yourself comfortable. I’ll see you later.” With that said, he turned around and walked off, not bothering to wait and see me enter the room. I watched until he vanished through a portal, and then proceeded to open the door. I entered, standing there in silence for about ten minutes, before moving over to the completely white bed and sitting down.

There wasn’t much in the room; the walls were white (like everything else in this stupid place) with a metallic sort-of sheen, and the single bed I was sitting on. The headboard was shaped with a strange symbol, and there was a window that revealed the very same heart-like moon that I had seen in the room I first arrived in.

There was also a plain white dresser and a shelf. All in all, it was pretty bland. The only thing that stuck out was the bright purple of my binder, the black of my chromebook and instrument cases, and the blue of one of my music folders- all of which was discarded rather rudely on the thin carpet of the floor.

Was I… really supposed to live here now? 


	3. Meeting the Organization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even in her worn state Maria was a force to be reckoned with. She slid forward, leaning back as Mickey sailed over her, and brought both her blades forward in an “X” motion, blocking his attack and nearly slicing the mouse in half. He managed to glide out of the way in time to avoid any serious damage, but some blood trickled down the side of his arm. He didn’t bother to heal, deciding to wait in case he got more injuries so as not to waste his strength.
> 
> Letting out cry, he swung his Keyblade and nicked the girl in the back, sending her stumbling forward, and casted a quick blizzard. She froze in place, ice holding her down, and Mickey took that free time to deliver a series of combos. The ice finally broke and she collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily with dazed eyes. Seeing her defeated Mickey de-materialized his Keyblade, kneeling down beside her and pulling out the star shard he had used to travel here.
> 
> “I’m so sorry about this, Maria… but this is for your own good. Please forgive me.”

I sat there for what felt like hours, curled up on the small bed I had been given. It was so black outside-the city was mixed with swirling lights of purple and blue and grey, dark clouds covering the violet sky, and aside from the yellow streetlights you could barely make out from how far below the city was. The only light was from the giant heart floating up in the air.

I thought over my predicament, pondering over whether it was all actually a dream or not, and wondered if all the pain I had felt earlier was actually real. I always had realistic dreams-so realistic I could  _feel_ what was happening, so that made it rather difficult in me figuring out whether or not I was living a nightmare. Rolling onto my side for the fiftieth time I sighed, staring boredly into nothing.

How long was I going to be forced to stay here? Weeks, months,  _years?_ Oh god, what about everyone at home? Mom, Dad, Malaya- what about Darian and Clair? How were they going to take all of this? They all lost Maria, and now…

I needed to get back. But how? If I tried to go through one of those portal-things, I’d die before I even managed to escape. Not to mention that I don’t even know where they actually  _lead_ …

I pushed myself up with an exasperated huff, annoyed at all of this. I just needed to occupy myself for a while. I could practice Oboe? Draw some more? Man, I wish I had some art supplies… if this was supposed to be my “room” while I was staying here, I’d rather give it some color.

Maybe make the walls a deep forest green, or even an ocean blue. That, or I could just paint a bunch of anime characters on it. That seemed like a pretty good idea. I started to entertain myself by the idea of the room having color-the walls being a dark green and the carpet a gray-ish color. The white empty bookshelf being an oak brown or even a mahogany, and my bed sheets being a lighter shade of green with my purple silk blanket Clair had left behind for me to use. I really needed to stitch the holes up in that thing.

After I got bored with that, I ended up taking out my notebook and mechanical pencil from my binder and sketching out the characters I was thinking of drawing on the wall- _if_ I got permission, of course. I spent a good twenty minutes doing that, having drawn Takuma Ichijou and Senri Shiki from  _Vampire Knight_ and Shin-Ah from  _Akatsuki no Yona_ , when there was finally a knock at my door.

“Uh, hello~?” An unfamiliar voice called. The door opened, a blond man with a very fashionable mullet walking in. His sea-green eyes looked around the room for a moment, taking note of the mess that was on the floor, before finally resting his gaze on me. He jumped a little. “Ah! There you are. Saix yelled at me to bring you food, so… here you go!” He held out the food tray he was carrying, appearing rather nervous.

“O-Oh… uh…” On the tray was a small water bottle-nothing like having extras, I suppose-an apple, and what appeared to be a ham sandwich. “Th-Thank you. Um.” Do I tell him to put it down somewhere or do I get up and grab it? Fumbling to put my things down I quickly put the scattered drawings in their separate piles and got off the bed, nearly tripping over myself as I attempted to make my way over to the newcomer.

He was tall-shorter than Axel, but definitely taller than Zexion. Five ten, maybe? About Darian’s height at least. This guy looked friendly… mostly. His eyes didn’t really hold much life in them. “So, you’re… You’re the new resident, huh?” He started awkwardly. I took the tray with a nod, wondering if I should set it down or bid goodbye and then sit down.

“Y-Yeah. My… My name’s Irene.”

Seeing that I wasn’t going to yell at him to go away he seemed to relax, brightening a little bit, and he quickly brought a hand up to scratch his head. “You’re friendly! Phew, I was worried for a sec. Haha!” He reached out a hand in greeting, flashing a bright smile. I hesitantly reached forward to grab his hand and shake it. He acted excited, but his voice was just as lacking as the rest I’ve met. “Name’s Demyx. I’m Number Nine in the Organization. I’m… guessing they didn’t assign you anything? S-Seeing as you’re not a Nobody and all that.”

“...Hah? Nobody?” Should I be offended? It’s not nice to call someone “Nobody” even if I did manage to convince all the little kids on my bus that my parents named me that… It was hilarious, because they always told the bus driver who was last on the bus and when they got me they would always say “Nobody is on!” and cause some confusion. I thought it was pretty funny.

The man’s eyes widened in surprise. “You don’t know? We’re all Nobodies; wait, don’t tell me you don’t know what a Nobody is?” I shook my head. “What about Heartless?” Again another negative.

Demyx’s shoulders slumped and he ruffled his mullet. How did he get it to stay like that? It looks so cool! Resisting the urge to freak out like a small child I tried to remain calm. Thankfully, my fear of the unknown kept me quiet.

“I can’t believe they didn’t explain it to you… Okay, since I don’t have a mission and everyone else here are mean, I’ll stay here and explain it to you while you eat! How’s that?” He held a finger up, leaning down just slightly as he gave what was supposed to be a hopeful grin.

“I… I guess?”

“Awesome!” He cheered, fist pumping the air. I blinked at him, resisting the urge to grin along with him, and anxiously shuffled back to the edge of my bed and sat down on the floor, resting the tray on the ground. Demyx plopped down in front of me, crossing his legs with his hands in his lap-not that it lasted long though, as he moved his hands around frequently when he talked.

I decided Demyx was okay. He seemed like the friendliest person here and, currently, the most relatable. I talked with my hands a lot too, and we both seemed to have a similar opinion of everyone else in this place. Jerks.

“Okay, so there are people like you-right? Well, not like  _you_ you, as you’re special with being the Keeper of Light and all that, but I’m talking about those with hearts! Sometimes the darkness in a person’s heart can be so great it causes them to turn into a creature called a “Heartless”, who goes out in searching for other people’s hearts. They steal those hearts. The person’s body dissipates, and once the Heartless is created a “Nobody” is born.”

I munched on my sandwich quietly as he spoke, a bit bothered by the robotic way his voice sounded but overall relieved to have someone at least semi-normal to talk to. I tried not to wince at the description, nearly losing my appetite at the thought of having my heart ripped out.

“Depending on how strong that person’s will is when turned into a Heartless, the Nobody may or may not take on a humanoid form. Like me!” He grinned, placing a hand over his chest where his heart should reside. “We, the Nobodies, lack hearts and emotions. I mean, it sucks not being able to feel and all, but it’s not all bad. We got cool powers to make up for it! See?”

I almost choked on my sandwich when he held his gloved hand out, a swirling bubble of water appearing out of thin air. Well, I wouldn’t say  _thin air_ -maybe from the moisture? Oh dear god, he was a Waterbender. “H-How!?”

“No idea. I just can. Axel-Number Eight-he can control fire. Xigbar is space and Marluxia can use plants. Zexion is illusions. We all vary, and even have our own weapons that correspond with our element. Our leader, Xemnas, took us all in after finding us and giving us new names. We’re ranked in the order we joined, and our goal is to regain our lost hearts. Pretty deep, huh?”

“...Y-Yeah…” I blinked a few times, setting the sandwich down and wincing a little as I brought a hand up to my chest. Not having a heart…  _losing_ it and before forced to live without emotions even if you had a strong will… I shivered a little. “That… doesn’t sound very pleasant. Not having feelings.”

“It’s not,” He agreed. “Oh, hey, I have a question.”

“O-Oh, uh, what’s up?”

He pointed at my music stuff I had placed near the white bookcase. “Do you play? I noticed them when I came in, but I wanted to make sure. Nobody else here in the Organization knows how to work an instrument, so I’m all by myself in that department.”

He plays!? “Uh, y-yeah; I do Oboe and Flute. What’s yours?”

Demyx grinned. “Sitar. Oh, I know! How about we play together sometime? It’s nice getting to meet a fellow musician!”

“S-Sure.” I was a bit hesitant, not too proud of musical skills, but found myself agreeing regardless. It seemed to put Demyx in a better mood. “Wh-What songs do you know? I have a lot of Marching music…”

“Marching Music?” He echoed, pulling a face. “That sounds like a lot of hard work…”

“W-We won’t be marching to it; we just call it that because we played them in marching band. Um, hold on.” Abandoning my tray of food I pushed myself and dashed over to the pile, pulling out my music folders and awkwardly making my way back over to Demyx and sitting down. “There’s  _Crazy Train, You Give Love a Bad Name, Shut up and Dance, Want you Back_ ,  _Hooked on a Feeling-_ ”

I listed the song titles off as I went through them, setting them down so Demyx could look at them, and eventually started to go to jazz. I had to rummage through my other folder for that, along with all my orchestra.

 _“Light Eternal_ is fun; I mean, it hurts and I can barely make it through the whole song before my Oboe starts to kill my face and my lips don’t want to work anymore, but I enjoy it.  _Second Storm_ and  _Engines of Resistance_ is really fun, too!”

I was still looking through some sheet music, coming across the  _Safe and Sound_ paper Skylar had given to me to borrow, only to pause and look up when I heard something with strings start strumming. I almost dropped my folder in surprise, seeing Demyx chilling there with a sitar in his lap and tuning it. He played a few notes, taking the  _You Give Love a Bad Name_ sheet and staring at it intently.

 _Where did the sitar come from!?_ I didn’t get an answer seeing as I didn’t ask. I just chose to listen.

He wasn’t far off from how the song went, so I was left rather impressed. I never knew what a sitar sounded like-I always imagined it to be a bit like an acoustic, but this reminded me more of Bollywood and all the music you hear in  _Aladdin._ It was really pretty. “I’ve never heard of these songs before,” He informed me, before looking at the sheets and beginning to strum some notes of  _Welcome to the Black Parade._ “Oh! I like this one.”

“Same~.” I grinned, watching him play. “My favorite is  _Shut Up and Dance.”_

He looked at me curiously for a moment before shuffling through the music sheets and pulling out the one I had mentioned. He smirked. Tuning his sitar a bit more, he began to play again. First by strumming a few notes, figuring out what octave he should play, before actually doing the whole song.

My jaw dropped. “ _Dude_! I thought you said you never heard of it before!?”

“I haven’t,” He beamed proudly. I clapped, awestruck, before grinning. Demyx was still playing. “These are rather simple.”

I was about to suggest he try playing  _Scream and Shout_ when the door suddenly opened. Standing there was someone I’ve never seen before. His black dreadlocks were pulled back into a high pony, occasional strands falling into his face as his violet eyes glared at us from afar. “Why aren’t you working, Demyx?” He demanded. “There are still plenty of missions for you to do. This is no time to be goofing off.”

Demyx looked like he was about ready to give a complaint, but thought better of it and closed his mouth. After a few seconds, staring at the tray I had been eating off of and seeing that it was empty, looked at the six foot eight tall man and said, “I  _am_ working though; I was told to bring her food and so I did! Saix was the one who ordered it.”

“Is that so?” His cold, empty gaze turned towards me. “I heard Demyx playing that instrument of his and assumed he was slacking off again. To think the rumors of you having been found were true… it’s good to see Number Nine taking his duties seriously.”

“I always take my work seriously!” He replied indignantly. Demyx faltered when the man’s glare hardened. “W-Well, most of the time as least…”

“Just get back to work.” With that said, the man closed the door and left us.

Demyx stared for a minute before relaxing, letting out a breath of air. “Xaldin scares me…”

“I can see why,” I responded, eyebrows raised. That guy seemed like a jerk. “Remind me not to make him angry.”

“Ha! Wait until you see Saix go berserk,” He laughed, before shuddering and hugging his sitar to his chest. “It’s  _not_ pretty. Most of the people here are hotheaded; Axel, Larxene, Vexen, Xigbar, Saix… even Xaldin can lose his calm if you push him far enough. I wouldn’t necessarily call Zexion hotheaded, but he can get annoyed really easily.”

“The blue-eyed guy? With the long bangs?” That Zexion? Thinking back to our first meeting, he did seem pretty annoyed with Mr. Eyepatch and Axel. He was nice towards me though-or at the very least polite. “He seemed friendly.” Well, friendlier than the others I first encountered.

“Friendly?” Demyx blinked. “I-I wouldn’t call him “friendly”, but he’s not the worst guy to hang around. He uses big words I don’t understand half the time and yells at me when I’m taking a break from all those tough missions. He hangs out with Lexaeus a lot.”

“...Who?”

“Giant, spiky orange hair, really buff and scary looking? He doesn’t talk much, but he’s always looking after Zexion. He’s the calmest person you’ll ever meet. Intimidating, but… nice, I guess.”

As Demyx spoke he continued to pluck a few strings on his Sitar, looking a bit uncomfortable talking about the other members. Bad memories, maybe? He started to play a bit of  _Star Spangled Banner._ A little concerned, I frowned and let him continue speaking.

“Vexen tried to experiment on me once; claimed he wanted to make me less… _annoying._ I don’t like him. I think I bug Zexion, but he still listens when I talk to him. He’s probably the only one who respects me. But now there’s you!” He brightened again, the dark look fading away from his face, and beamed at me. “You listen, too! And you’re not scary like the others. Talking to you is easy. I might just come here and talk to you during my breaks.”

I’m… not totally against that. At least I won’t be alone and fearing for my life. If I was going to be stuck here for all eternity, I might as well try to get along with people. Besides, I liked Demyx-he seemed like he’d make a good friend. God knows I’d need one if I was going to stay here. “I’m okay with that. It’d be nice having someone to talk to.”

“Right!?” He grinned, holding his hands up in the air as if to show just how happy that made him. Wait… he said he didn’t have a heart. Could he really be happy? Oh, now I’m confused. I felt it would be rude to ask, so I decided to keep my befuddled thoughts to myself. “Hey, I gotta got bring your tray back to the kitchen and give my report so they don’t freak out, and they’re probably going to make me go on a boring mission again, but I’ll come back later, okay?”

“O-Okay.” I stammered, surprised at the sudden goodbye. Still feeling a bit awkward, I raised a hand up and waved. “Uh, Bye-Bye!”

He grinned, standing, and I had to do a doubletake when the sitar he was holding vanished into multiple lights. “See ya! Oh, wait, I need the tray.” He grabbed it, bid another goodbye, and vanished out the door. I was just about to start packing all my music together when the door opened again, startling me. “I almost forgot to tell you; Xemnas said that he doesn’t want you to leave your room until tomorrow, so rest up! He’ll be sending someone to collect you in the morning.”

“O-Okay.” The conversation left me a bit breathless, mainly due to the fact that I needed to use my nebulizer after it being so late and for talking and yelling so much.

“Bye!”

And this time, the door closed for good.

…

The young woman laughed loudly, swinging her twin blades through the air and striking down multiple beasts. She sent them flying, her enemies letting out garbled cries as the fire started to spread along their skin, searing their flesh with the crimson flames. Her blades steamed red, flames dancing around the bronzed metal as she twirled them expertly in her hands; slashing up diagonally and splattering the Heartless with heat.

With each cut, the wound cauterized due to the red hot steel, but it put her victims in a strong state of intense pain and caused them to lag; giving her the advantage and a chance to vent out her anger in the one way she knew how. She absolutely despised the world and the people within it, and after being bossed around so long to do “this” and to do “that” and not to behave like “that”...  _Damn!_

Who did they even think they were? They take her from her home when she’s just a child and try to “raise her right”? Stupid mouse, stupid old man! They’re all fools!

She ground her teeth together in her frustration before setting out to attack a Large Body Heartless from behind- slashing it a couple of times before it went sailing high into the air.

Smashing a Pureblood Heartless into the ground with her foot, she waited for the right moment as she watched the Large Body fall back down and- _SMACK!_

She hit the Large Body roughly with the flat of her blade, watching as it sailed through the air and slam into the sail post, the heartless dissipating into darkness upon impact. The woman wavered suddenly, the adrenaline fading as her vision blackened, and the world around her started to spin. If it weren’t for a man wearing a red bandanna, slicing the Heartless that tried to sneak up on her in half, she would have been seriously injured.

“You okay, lass?” He asked, grinning and showing off a pair of crooked teeth as he caught her arm. “I appreciate you doing all the fighting for me and whatnot… but you can hardly stand on your own feet. You go bugger off.”

“You just don’t want to lose your personal bodyguard,” She grunted, pushing herself away from him and stumbling slightly to catch her bearings.

“Ah, ‘tis true. No argument there, lassy.”

The woman scrunched up her nose and glared, making a face that he paid little attention to as he sashayed up to another Heartless and attacked; brandishing his rapier with one hand with the other held up in the air behind him, fingers curled and spread out. After a moment she sighed, focusing her anger and attention on the Heartless around her.

Despite the dizziness and lightheaded feeling she wasn’t going to stop fighting now. This was the way she handled her anger - she released it on the Heartless, destroying them and allowing herself to relax bit by bit. Tightening her grip on her sword handles, she pushed some of her energy into the blades, allowing the metals to ignite once more as flames burst through the air, dancing about.

The pirate she was with just taunted the Heartless, slashing through and fervently blocking their attacks. The way he was fighting was completely unorganized; dodging only by tripping and stumbling sideways, and he was swaying whenever he walked. He laughed in triumph after impaling a Blue Rhapsody, slamming it into a Red Nocturne with the swing of his blade. He yelped when he was suddenly slammed into from behind, flying forwards onto the deck. He was unable to push himself up in time, however, to avoid getting stomped on by two Hammer Frame Heartless.

They managed to hit him repeatedly, stomping on him multiple times without mercy. He could barely move, but the adrenaline rushing through his veins pushed him to stand, the male running in a desperate attempt for survival. “Miranda! A little help!?”

“It’s  _Maria!_ ” She shouted, lunging at the Hammer Frames who were attacking him. She ended them easily in seven hits; once they dissipated she tossed a potion in the man’s direction and started to pick up the money the Heartless had dropped. The only Heartless left now were a few more Red Nocturnes and a couple of Purebloods. Not that difficult. “You think you can handle them?” She asked, a mocking smirk spreading easily across her face.

“I think the real question to ask here, Mary, is can  _you_ handle them?” He countered as he swaggered up beside her, moving his hands as he spoke and grinning wide when he saw her eyebrow twitch.

“It’s Maria. For the  _hundredth_ time, Jack, at least say it right!”

“That’s  _Captain_ Jack, lass.”

“Oh, shove it!” She growled, before charging forward with a yell and attacking the leftover Heartless. She aimed for the Red Nocturne, whereas Jack decided that he would aim for the single Pureblood Heartless that had sunk into the ground. “You’re mine! Ha!” Jumping into the air and swinging, she managed to lop its little hat off before slicing it in half with her other blade. She landed, twirling her swords before allowing them to fade into nothing.

Exhausted, her shoulders slumped and she stumbled over near the ship’s hold. Maria had busted Jack out of jail a while back, and they were on their way to re-recruit the people that had originally been part of his ship crew. Unfortunately, a lot of Heartless had started to show up along the way and delayed their journey.

And with Maria still being as sick as she was… well, it was a wonder why she was even able to still keep standing. She leaned against the doorframe and sighed. Jack was still picking up all the money the Heartless had dropped, shoving his pockets full with the coins, and turned to look at Maria only to pause.

“Uh, lassy…”

“What?” She breathed, too tired to bother opening her eyes. “What is it, Jack?”

“Do you mind tellin’ me what that shooting flashy thing heading our way is?”

Her eyes snapped open in alarm and she looked up, a very familiar yell reaching her ears. Most would have thought the thing flying at them was a shooting star gone haywire, but unfortunately for her she knew what it was. With a blinding flash of light the object-or rather  _person_ \- fell and crashed onto the deck of the Black Pearl.

Jack blinked. “It’s a Mouse… with clothes. Is that another version of those Heartless folk?”

“Unfortunately, no.” She grumbled. Maria could remember watching cartoons of Mickey Mouse when she was a child, so when she saw him appear in her bedroom one day asking her to go with him for safekeeping she was more than ecstatic. As the years passed and she grew older, she began to understand more of what had happened and realized hey-the humanoid mouse wasn’t exactly who she thought he was.

With a groan Mickey pushed himself up, wobbling slightly as he held the star shard in his hand. He blinked a few times, looking around, before staring at Maria in surprise. Relief flooded his gaze and he smiled widely. “Maria! You’re okay!” Pocketing the object that had transported him there he ran at her, intent on hugging her.

The woman quickly dodged, glaring down at him. “What do you want?” Mickey came to a stop, turning his head and staring at her with hurt eyes. She tried to ignore the guilt building up inside of her. He may have kidnapped her, but he and Yen Sid  _did_ treat her kindly. Mickey was the one who had taught her how to use her swords.

“I… I came to bring you back home.” He explained, still doing his best to keep his smile up. “Master Yen Sid is really worried about you, Maria. We fear that you being so active like this is going to cause your body even more stress than what it’s already going through.”

“So what? I left there for a reason!” She didn’t want to call the Mysterious Tower “Home”. It felt wrong, even if she had grown up there. Summoning her swords she got into a stance, watching as Mickey took a defensive step back in alarm. “If you want to take me back, you’re going to have to beat me. And then you’ll  _really_ be a kidnapper.”

“M-Maria…” He raised a hand up, frowning with knit eyebrows, before lowering his head sadly. “I did it for your own protection… We still don’t know where the Keeper of Light is; if someone with evil intentions took you before you were ready-before we found the Keeper of Light and before you learned of your responsibility, things would fall into chaos. We didn’t want them to use you like that.” He shook his head, looking up and staring at her pleadingly. “Please don’t make me fight you, Maria. It would break my heart…”

Her eyes just hardened, the young woman refusing to give in. Clearly upset about what he was forced to do, Mickey held out his hand and a silver blade in the shape of a key appeared in his hand, the mouse wrapping his gloved fingers around the gold handle.

“Forgive me for this…” Inhaling deeply, the Mouse narrowed his eyes in determination and lunged. Jack stayed away from the fight, quietly sneaking his way to the holding deck to watch from a safe distance. It wasn’t his fight, and like hell he was going to get hurt for no reason. His life came first.

Mickey and Maria’s blades slammed together, slashing and swinging and cutting air, and the mouse flipped backwards after jumping off of one of her blades. She hadn’t activated the flames-Maria lacked the necessary mana to do so-and aside from Mickey occasionally casting blizzard and thunder spells, they were on the verge of being evenly matched.

Even in her worn state Maria was a force to be reckoned with. She slid forward, leaning back as Mickey sailed over her, and brought both her blades forward in an “X” motion, blocking his attack and nearly slicing the mouse in half. He managed to glide out of the way in time to avoid any serious damage, but some blood trickled down the side of his arm. He didn’t bother to heal, deciding to wait in case he got more injuries so as not to waste his strength.

Letting out cry, he swung his Keyblade and nicked the girl in the back, sending her stumbling forward, and casted a quick blizzard. She froze in place, ice holding her down, and Mickey took that free time to deliver a series of combos. The ice finally broke and she collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily with dazed eyes. Seeing her defeated Mickey de-materialized his Keyblade, kneeling down beside her and pulling out the star shard he had used to travel here.

“I’m so sorry about this, Maria… but this is for your own good. Please forgive me.”

Tightening her hold on the handles of her blades, Maria grit her teeth together. And with her eyes squeezed shut, she slashed at him with the blunt of her blade, sending the mouse flying back. The shard fell out of his hand and rolled against the ground, the mouse quickly pushing himself up to stare at her in alarm as he watched her swords vanish.

Placing her hands against the ground she willed a passage to appear beneath her and, to Mickey’s complete and utter horror, she vanished into the Dark Corridor. “ _Maria!”_

…

I had another weird dream about a little boy with blond hair that had been grieving, and a girl with a massive burn on the right side of her face dying. It was always the same dream, continuing almost like a story, and only happened occasionally. I normally had to be super stressed in order to have those dreams.

Tossing and turning in the bed I was sleeping in, I tried to fall back asleep. It failed, and in the end I only succeeded in kicking the blankets off the bed and nearly tearing off the sheets. I groaned, complaining loudly about how much I hated the world, and when I actually bothered to open my eyes and sit up I stared.

White. A whole lot of white filled my vision. That… no. “No! No, no, no-” I looked around frantically, praying that I was just hallucinating, and rubbed at my eyes. When I opened them again, I was still greeted with the same white. “That… oh god…”

It wasn’t a dream. That all really happened. This-This was reality. Holy christ on a monkey wheel; oh jesus, oh god…

I shot up, not caring that I was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, and made to rush over to the door. My foot ended up getting caught in the blanket that I had accidentally knocked onto the floor and I screamed, toppling and falling forward onto the ground. I flinched, pulling my face off the thin carpet, and kicked my foot in an attempt to get the fabric off of me.

That took maybe a decent three minutes, sadly not having the intelligence to beat an inanimate object, and when I was finally freed I clumsily wandered towards the door and opened it. I was breathing heavily, my skull throbbing due to lightheadedness, and I was depressed to find only more white and a very long hallway.

“Irene.”

I was standing in the middle of the hallway, staring blankly with wide eyes to the left, when a voice coming from the right suddenly startled me. Low, emotionless, and collected, yet soft like velvet… Turning my head to look over my shoulder, I was met with the sight of Zexion staring at me, a book tucked against his side. “Uh… M-Mornin’.” I awkwardly told him, still trying to catch my breath. My lungs hurt a little.

No smile, no grimace-nothing. Just a blank, disinterested stare. “Good morning,” He responded cooly. “I suppose I should thank you for saving me the trouble of awakening you.”

Uh… sure? Wait, what does he mean? My face twisted into that of confusion. “Why did you need to wake me up?” As I spoke I was able to briefly remember Demyx mentioning something about this.

“To show you towards the kitchen,” Zexion responded bluntly. “The Superior asked me to do this so you know where to go when you are hungry. Now come; it’s eight in the morning-I doubt most of the members are awake.” It’s only _eight?_ Jesus Christ, I want to sleep in.

Seeing him turn around and start to walk away, I decided to follow him. I hardly believed that I had much choice in the matter, and seeing how he was one of the only few members I’ve met that didn’t scare me so far I wanted to remain on his good side.

Questions forming in my head, I figured that would be the best way to break the silence. I went with the most obvious one first. “Um… how many members  _are_ there in the Organization?” It was an honest one, probably the most deserving of an answer, but it also made it sound a bit like they were an occult... How lovely.

It wasn’t that hard to keep up with him and he politely slowed down to match my pace. I was grateful, as trying to keep up with people who had long legs or just plain walked fast put a lot of effort and stress on my lungs, and I was still trying to get them to stop hurting.

“There are twelve of us as of the moment,” Zexion answered, looking at me out of the corner of his only visible eye. Depending on the way his hair swished when he walked or moved gave me the occasional glance of his other eye. As I had suspected it was unharmed, the same brilliant azure blue that his visible eye was. Seeing that I was listening, my full attention on him, he continued, “but we are still searching for other Nobodies to recruit. I trust Number Nine explained what a “Nobody” is to you?”

Number Nine- “Oh, Demyx!?” My eyes widened in realization as I exclaimed that loudly, clapping my hands together.

He looked a bit annoyed at the loudness of which I said that, but I tried to ignore it. People either got used to it or just hated me because of it-I wasn’t affected by it anymore. I grew up in a loud environment and absolutely loved to talk, so I wasn’t really that good at controlling the volume of which I spoke unless I was in a library. It was weird-sort of like an automatic “switch” that occurs when I’m in one. It’s been like that for years and I still don’t understand it.

“Y-Yeah, he did. And Heartless. You… You don’t have a heart either, right?”

He nodded. “That is correct. Everyone in the Organization is lacking a heart, and therefore do not have emotions. We merely remember what it is like to “feel”. Happiness, sorrow, anger… we do not truly “have” these emotions. The memories we have from our original selves is simply what allows us to act like we do.”

“Ohh… okay. That makes sense, I think.”

As we walked down a staircase, he said, “Do not hesitate to ask if you have more questions. I will answer them all to the best of my ability.”

“O-Okay; th-thank you. Um…” Hm, what  _do_ I want to know? There was a lot I wanted to ask, but at the same time I didn’t know how to phrase them. Xemnas already explained what I was supposedly here for, and Demyx told me all about the Nobodies and Heartless. Axel explained where I was… Oh, I know! “How long am I going to be here?”

Zexion smirked, almost as if he were amused. “You will be residing here for however long it is necessary. It is our job to keep you out of harm’s way, after all.”

“R-Right…” I don’t really agree with that but-

I stopped walking abruptly, something catching in my throat. My eyes widened and I brought a hand up to my throat, using my other to hit my chest as my struggling lungs stopped working completely. Zexion stopped, turning to look at me in confusion when I quit following him, only to have his eye widen. Black spots danced in my vision, my heart racing furiously, and my chest hurt so bad it felt like there was a fire spreading inside of it.

I stumbled back, hitting the railing, and would have fallen over it and into the abyss if Zexion didn’t reach out and grab my arm, pulling me away from the brink of death. I was still slamming my fist against my chest, gasping for air yet no oxygen being received. Sirens rang in my ears and-for a brief moment-I thought my heart was going to stop. I could feel it slowing down, the lax pace frightening, and Zexion (having released my arm once I was no longer on the verge of falling to my doom) watched as I collapsed onto my knees.

I-I can’t-Oh god, I can’t-

With one last powerful, painful punch to my chest my lungs quit constricting and I gasped loudly, greedily inhaling all the oxygen I possibly could. I felt lightheaded; my whole body like jelly.  _I-It hurts…_ My eyes stung with tears. Swallowing thickly I tried to stand, wobbling, but Zexion placed his hands on my shoulders to steady me. “Don’t move so fast.” He ordered.

“S-Sor-Sor-” I couldn’t get the words out. I was too breathless. He silenced me with a hard stare and we stood there for a few minutes, just waiting for me to breathe normally again and calm down. “Sorry…”

He just tilted his head, his single eye gazing inquiringly at me-almost as if I was a subject that needed to be studied. “The effect of the darkness inside of you is exceedingly similar to that of when you were inside the Corridor of Darkness… just not as immediate. We best travel slowly so not to aggravate it any further.”

Wh-Whatever you say, pretty man…

His kept his free hand on my arm to keep me steady. While we walked he muttered to himself, talking about how he might speak to the Superior about “studying” the effects the darkness had on me and to see if there was a way of slowing them down or if there was a possibility they’d be able to remove it from me through other means.

After a good fifteen minutes of tiresome walking and stairs, we finally arrived at the kitchen. A person I recognized sat at the table, his feet kicked up onto it while he leaned back, balancing on two of the chair legs, his hair as red and spiky as ever. Axel was munching on what looked to be strawberry poptarts. Then, rummaging through the cabinets, was…

_Holy mongrel in a tutu..._

This guy was GIANT. Seven foot maybe? Either way, Zexion didn’t even reach his shoulders and he was taller than me! I was maybe only a couple inches above the giant guy’s elbows. I went through all the descriptions Demyx gave and decided this must be Lexa… L… Lexi… Whatever his name was! The super quiet, but intimidating nice guy.

Upon hearing footsteps Axel looked up, giving a small wave in greeting, before swallowing the food he had been chewing. “Hey, kid! I see Zexion was your wake-up call this morning; how’d that go for you?”

“O-Oh, uh,” I stammered, trying to think of a decent answer, before settling with, “I-I was actually awake when I saw him, so… yeah. He-He didn’t have to wake me up or anything.”

Zexion nodded, walking past me and taking a seat at the table. Setting the book he was carrying down on the white wood, he opened it and started reading, but only after saying “Indeed” to confirm what I had said as true.

The Ginger Giant who had been rummaging through the cabinets stopped and turned his head slightly to look in our direction, gaze resting on Zexion before turning to stare at me. Demyx wasn’t wrong-the guy  _did_ look very intimidating. Strong jaw, sharp cheekbones, and a very rough pair of angry eyebrows; I knew right away that I didn’t want to be on his bad side. He would probably break me into a thousand pieces with a single punch.

Then, without saying anything to me or Zexion, he went back to rummaging for food.

I just stood there uncomfortably, wondering what I was supposed to do. Am… Am I allowed to just go up and look for food or do I wait for someone to offer? Do I sit at the table or keep standing here? What am I even allowed to eat? I know some people have their own “stash” that they don’t like other people touching.

Too lost in my thoughts to hear the door opening, I jumped a good three feet in the air when I felt a chest press into my back. I shrieked loudly, causing Axel to jump and fall backwards in his chair, landing roughly on the floor. Zexion and the Ginger Giant looked this way as I stumbled forward and tripped over my feet, face-planting onto the floor with a very undignified  _“Oof!”_

A man standing with a height of about six foot five looked down at me in shock, his pale pink hair cascading around him in waves. He blinked, regaining his composure, and watched as I picked myself up off the floor. “Well then… isn’t this a surprise? I wasn’t expecting our first meeting to go like this…”

I held back a groan, rubbing my head, and sat on my knees as I turned my head to look at who bumped into me.  _Another pretty man?_ I’m a girl and they’re all prettier than me! So unfair! Well, except Ginger Giant. He’s not that pretty. “S-Sorry…”

“Damn straight you’re sorry! That hurt!” I jolted and whirled around to see Axel scowling, standing and fixing his chair while he rubbed his rear. “Give a warning next time you scream like that! You about gave me a heart attack!”

“You don’t have a heart,” Zexion pointed out, unimpressed. Axel just glared at him. Ginger Giant finally seemed to have found something he wanted, pulling out what looked to be a can of fruit, and opened one of the drawers to take out a fork. He seemed to not care about what was going on around him.

“Whatever; you get my point. Anyway, what do you want, Marluxia?”

The pink-haired man removed his gaze from me and looked at Axel, frowning. “I came for what every person in need for food comes into the kitchen for so early in the morning; breakfast. Has Xaldin made anything at all recently? I’ve been busy at Beast’s Castle, so I’ve missed a couple of days…”

“Pancakes are in the fridge.” Zexion answered, flipping the page in the book he was reading. Marluxia gracefully stepped around me and maneuvered his way to the fridge. He opened it, pulling out the plate covered with plastic wrap. Zexion’s nose suddenly twitched. “You don’t like raspberries, do you?”

“I’m not particularly fond of them,” Marluxia responded, setting the plate on the counter near the Ginger Giant and pulling the wrapper off. “Why? Did he mix them in there?” He looked at Zexion curiously. I was still sitting on the floor. Axel was giving me an odd look.

“...Perhaps.”

Marluxia just shrugged. “Oh well. Thanks for the heads up, Number Six, but I think I’ll survive. Oh! I almost forgot.” Turning around he searched for me, only to blink when he saw me. “Why are you still on the ground?”

I hesitated. “It’s… comfy?” The biggest lie I’ve told. This floor was as uncomfortable as non-carpet floors could get. I pushed myself up, standing, and started to twist the sleeves on my jacket as I tried to sink further in the baggy article of clothing. Ginger Giant took a seat beside Zexion at the table.

“To each their own, I suppose. But I forgot to introduce myself; my name is Marluxia.” He smiled, placing a hand against his chest. As he moved, rose petals literally appeared out of thin air and floated around him. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“O-Oh, um, you too. I-I’m Irene…”

His smile broadened. Marluxia gestured to the men sitting at the table, asking, “I trust you’ve already been introduced to these three?”

I looked at them, almost as if to silently ask if it was alright to talk about them, but Axel was ignoring me as he finished his poptart and Zexion seemed to care less about the conversation. “I-I know Zexion and Axel, yeah… I-I don’t know  _him_ though.” Keeping my hands close to my chest, I nervously pointed at Ginger Giant.

Knowing he was being talked about he lifted his head up, sky blue eyes staring at me and then at Marluxia before back to me again. Marluxia was the one who spoke.

“This is Lexaeus. He’s Number Five.  _I_  happen to be Number Eleven. We also have other members; there’s Larxene, Xaldin, Vexen, Luxord, Saix, our Superior Xemnas, and… Xigbar. Am I forgetting anybody?” He looked at Axel for help.

“Demyx.”

I raised my hand up in the air excitedly, exclaiming, “I know Demyx!” Everyone looked at me, either surprised, confused, or just a bit indifferent. I pulled my hand back down with a grin, explaining, “I met him yesterday!” Granted, I met everyone I know right now yesterday, but still… “He brought me food.”

Axel was the one who broke the silence, an eyebrow raised high up on his forehead. “Right… well, he’s Number Nine.” This I remember. “The Organization in order is Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Saix,  _me_ , Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, and finally Larxene. Marluxia’s the only one who likes her though.”

“She’s a nice girl once you get to know her,” The pink-haired man responded in defense, though not sounding very upset at all. “She just has a temper.”

Zexion lowered his book, eyeing Marluxia coldly. “She tore one of my books in half because I corrected her in her logic.”

“I said when you get to  _know_ her.”

Alrighty then. I  _really_ wanted to avoid that lady now. I shifted from foot to foot nervously, pondering what I should say. Larxene was starting to sound like my psychopathic little cousin. I suddenly remembered what happened when I was talking to Demyx the other day. Tentatively raising a hand, I asked, “Uh, w-who’s the guy with the dreadlocks?” Demyx had said his name, but I don’t really remember it.

Zexion and Marluxia stopped arguing, turning to look at me, and I tried not to shrink away. I was fine with talking loudly in a room full of people, just not when everyone’s attention was focused on me. Marluxia raised an eyebrow. “If by dreadlocks you mean the man with the horrendous sideburns…” I nodded. “That would be Xaldin-Number Three of the Organization.”

“Okay… So, Axel is Eight,” I looked at him for confirmation, the redhead nodding, and I continued, “Zexion is Six, you’re Eleven, Demyx is Nine, Xaldin is Three, a-and L-Lexaeus…?” The Ginger Giant paused and nodded at me to confirm that I had his name right. “And Lexaeus is Five.”

“Bingo.” Axel smirked, snapping his fingers and pointing at me. “You’ve got the titles memorized now, huh? We also go by other names, but I’ll wait on confusing you even more. I don’t want to spoil all my fun.”

I knit my eyebrows together, giving him an odd look, before shaking my head. I paused, noticing something as I stared at them. I squinted.  _Normal… blurry… Normal… blurry._ Axel was giving me another strange look. Slowly, I brought a hand up to my face and pressed it against it. Nothing. I felt a bit panicky and looked around, staring over my shoulder at the door and back at the men. “Wh-Where are my glasses!?”

“How should I know?” Axel asked. Marluxia and Lexaeus weren’t paying much attention anymore, too busy eating, and Zexion sighed as he flipped another page in his book.

“They’re most likely in your room.” The slate-blue haired man explained. “You probably put them somewhere before you went to sleep.”

“O-Oh… right…” I relaxed, letting out a breath of air, and ruffled my hair. “Thank you.” He gave me another inquiring stare, before responding with a polite,

“You’re welcome.”

Then we were left in silence. I just remained standing there in the middle of the kitchen, uncomfortable and not knowing what to do. It was only when Lexaeus stood and threw the can he had been eating out of away, putting his fork in the sink, that I did anything at all. There were multiple chairs at the table, but Lexaeus must have sensed my distress for he looked at me as he started to head to the door and paused.

His voice was deep with a slight edge to it, rough as stone but strong as iron. It had the kind of tone that left no room for argument, and when he spoke I froze-my heart all but stopping from surprise. Whether it was from what it sounded like or what he said, I wasn’t sure. I just know I didn’t argue when he said, “You can sit in my chair.”

Stammering out another “thank you” I awkwardly made my way over to the chair and took the seat next to Zexion, sitting there with my hands laced together in my lap. I was afraid to speak or even move, shoulders completely stiff as I remained there at the table. Axel, who was licking the bits of strawberry that had gotten onto his fingers from when he had devoured his poptart, looked at me curiously.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

I  _want_ to, but… “Wh-What am I allowed to eat?”

The redhead choked on his own saliva. Marluxia blinked and Zexion shifted the angle he was sitting at to stare at me questioningly.

“Whatever you find,” Zexion said, almost as if I had said something completely ridiculous. “The only one who holds any conflict with that is Xigbar and he hides his cereal in his room so no one can get to it. It’s a rather superfluous action, but an understandable one nonetheless. Number Twelve has a habit of stealing members’ things to irritate them.”

I blinked, mouth opening in an “o” shape, before looking at my lap and biting my bottom lip. I felt rather stupid now. “O-Oh… S-So, it… it doesn’t matter what I eat?”

“Essentially, yes.”

Marluxia interrupted, looking rather amused. “What on earth made you think that? Did you believe we would starve you? The Superior would skin us if we tried.”

“Yeah. And I don’t feel like becoming a Dusk.”

I stared at the redhead, watching as he leaned back in his chair and stretched, pulling his arms behind his head. I was beginning to get the impression that Axel was actually a very laid-back person. “That’s like the third time you said that… How can you be turned into a dusk? I-I wasn’t aware you could be turned into a time of day.”

I wasn’t aware about a lot of things apparently. Magic, Nobodies, Heartless… Was this really not a dream? It was hard to believe, but the pain I felt was very there and when I fell asleep and woke up… I was still here. This had to be reality. It was just… difficult to accept.

Axel started to laugh, Marluxia chuckled, and Zexion just ignored the world. “Dusks are the lowest type of Nobody,” Axel explained through his laughter. He was grinning. “It’s what we call ‘em. There are Samurai, Berserkers, Dancers-it varies. It depends on how strong your will is when you lose your heart of what form your Nobody takes. The lowest is a Dusk.”

Ohhh… that makes sense. I think. Well, enough of waiting around! I’m hungry. Standing and pushing my chair in, I hesitated before making my way over to the cabinets. There was canned fruit, vegetables, chips, cookies… Hey! Poptarts! There was a box of strawberry and two boxes of the cinnamon sugar poptarts. A picky eater, I promptly reached forward for the cinnamon sugar.

I pulled out a packet and hastily made my way back next to Zexion, sitting down in the chair Lexaeus said I could use, and tore the wrapping open.

“Did you leave some for the Superior?” A new yet familiar voice suddenly spoke up, coming from where the door was. I didn’t react, not realizing the person was talking to me, and carefully broke off a piece and put it in my mouth, chewing. I began to wonder if the Organization had any extra toothbrushes I could use, as they had grabbed me when I was at school and not at home.

 _Wow_ , I was taking this a lot more casually than I probably should be. Oops. Well, I did say I adapted quickly to things. It’s best to just go with the flow most of the time.

The voice was behind me this time. “Are you listening at all?” Gruff and deep, with just the barest hint of an accent, I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Skittish one, aren’t you?” When I looked over my shoulder, it was the man who had burst into mine and Demyx’s conversation the other day. Xaldin, I think Marluxia said his name was. His sideburns really  _were_ horrendous.

Was he trying to be Wolverine or something? Maybe he’s part werewolf. I wouldn’t be surprised considering how weird all this stuff is. Thinking about it made me remember Darian, who once dressed as a woman werewolf when he was in the sixth grade for Wacky Wednesday. His chest was so hairy he  _could_ be a werewolf.

I felt a pang in my chest at the memory, missing my brother and the rest of my family even more now. I wanted to cry, but I tried to be strong as I didn’t want to have an emotional break down in front of all these people.

“S-Sorry,” I choked out, looking up at him. “Wh-What did you say?” My eyes burned slightly.

His violet eyes were piercing, but not as much as the blue-haired man with the scars. “I asked if you had saved some of the cinnamon sugar poptarts for the Superior. Those are his favorite.”

“O-Oh, uh, there’s another box in there.” I started to stand, ready to rush over to the cabinet and open it to show him. Unfortunately, I ended up losing balance and stumbled sideways, barely catching myself on one foot and hopping up-and-down repeatedly with my arms out before grabbing on the edges of the counter where the cabinets were.

“Are you a rabbit?” Marluxia teased, taking a bite of his raspberry pancakes. He had only poured a little bit of syrup on it-something that could be considered disgraceful in my opinion as the pancakes had to always be drowned in it. But to each their own, so I wasn’t going to judge him for it. “Oh~ That would be a wonderful nickname for you. Skittish and hops like a rabbit. Bunny Girl.”

I made a face despite the fact that he couldn’t see it, and resisted the urge to make a sarcastic comment. I pulled out the two boxes that were still in there and showed them to Xaldin, who looked disinterested. “See? Extras~!”

And, just as I was about to put them away and take my seat back at the table, Xaldin went and stole my chair. I slumped my shoulders, disheartened, and stuck my bottom lip out slightly in a pout.

“I say and I’m completely ignored… Rude.” Just wonderful. I sighed, putting everything away and closing the cabinet, and walked over to the table and grabbed my poptarts. I looked around for a corner to hide in, and finding a perfect one next to the fridge I hid there, quietly munching on my breakfast and attempting to make as little of a mess as possible.

I went through my predicament, debating who I wanted to befriend. Demyx was a must, Zexion seemed pretty cool, Axel wasn’t as scary after speaking to him for a bit, and Marluxia… he seemed friendly enough.  _I feel like my mentality should be looked at; I’m actually thinking about  being friends with my kidnappers. Wow. Okay._ I guess this is what one calls making the best of a situation.

After being lost in my thoughts for so long I decided to tune back into the world, blinking and looking at the people sitting at the table when they started to speak. Axel asked Xaldin curiously, “Have you seen Luxord anywhere? I was looking for him this morning as I wanted to win my money back.”

“Challenging the Gambler of Fate to a game of luck?” Zexion spoke, raising an eyebrow at the redhead. “You do realize he has an unfair advantage, don’t you? That’s a poor decision on your part.”

“Aw, shut up! He made me mad, okay? I got all riled up and accepted his challenge, and he won’t give me back my money unless I beat him in another game! So, Xaldin? Have you seen him?” Axel leaned over the table, collapsing the chair back on all fours.

“No.” Was Xaldin’s blunt response. “But I  _have_ heard from Saix that he was sent to Wonderland on a rather difficult Heartless mission.”

Zexion finally looked up from his book, a flash of recognition flowing across his face. “I recall Vexen saying something about that. Number Seven wanted him to go with him in order to assure that the task is done with succession.”

Axel snorted upon hearing that. “Because that’s going to end well.”

“We shall see,” Xaldin responded, though his own amused smirk spread on his lips. “A mission to test the compatibility between our Organization’s members and how well we work together... I think it’s a clever idea.”

“It’s an intriguing notion,” Zexion agreed, “I’ll give it that. But Vexen and Luxord are not the best pair to experiment this on. Vexen believes in numbers and science, whereas Luxord prefers to take risks and gamble regardless the situation. They have conflicting views on almost every subject.”

“I’m gonna be honest,” Axel said, staring at younger man, “but I only understand half of that.”

Tilting his head so his bangs fell even more into face, Zexion sighed. “Vexen and Luxord don’t agree.”

“Okay, got it. Now, was that so hard? Not all of us are brainiacs like you and the rest of the science nerds.”

I’m not a brainiac and I still understood what it was he said. Was it really that complicated sounding? I watched silently, finishing the last bit of my poptarts. Zexion gave Axel an annoyed look, his single visible eye narrowing in a glare.

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what “intriguing” means. Perhaps you should read a bit more, Axel? Might I suggest a dictionary? I could lend you one if you’d like. I have plenty.”

Axel waved his hand in the air dismissively, smirking. “No, thanks. I’m good.”

“Must you all argue like a bunch of children?” Xaldin intervened. He stood, Zexion turning his head away grumpily and Axel frowning at the older man. “I’m going to fetch some breakfast, so if you’ll excuse me.

He then paused, looking down at Marluxia who was snacking on the pancakes. “Aren’t those…”

Marluxia blinked, looking up at him, before offering a smug grin. “Finders keepers, Number Three.” Xaldin’s eyebrow twitched. Deciding not to say anything the X-Men imposter walked up to the fridge, looking through it for a moment before pulling out some cranberry jam.

“Seeing as you’ll eat whatever I’ll cook, I think I’ll make me a sandwich instead. That way you can’t have anything next time.”

“So cruel,” Marluxia joked, feigning hurt as he waved a hand in the air and leaned his head back. “There goes our cook, I suppose.”

It took all I had not to laugh at the situation, pulling my knees up to my chest and biting down on the sleeve that covered my left arm to muffle the giggles. For a bunch of kidnappers they certainly acted the complete opposite. Xaldin was the father, Zexion was the teen son, and Axel was the older brother who had moved only to come right back and slid on into his parents’ basement. I couldn’t decide if Marluxia would be the eldest or if he would be the mother.

Xaldin, hearing me trying to prevent the giggles, turned his head and looked down at while he got out some bread. “What pray tell is so funny, child?”

“N-Nothing!” I waved it off quickly, alarmed that I had been found out. “J-Just a weird thought.”

His extremely intricate eyebrow raised, I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling. It was really hard trying to keep myself in check when all I wanted was to laugh and act as I usually would.  _Don’t laugh. You might get killed if you act as yourself._ Knowing I might die was enough to quell my laughter.

I could feel everyone’s gazes on me. Zexion, Axel, Marluxia’s…

“Leave her be.” Axel finally spoke, Zexion returning his gaze to his book. “It doesn’t matter what she was thinking.” Xaldin stared at him for a long moment, frowning, before nodding and getting to work on spreading the jam on his sandwich. Reaching into the cabinets he pulled out some of that Marshmallow Fluff topping and got to spreading it on a bread slice.

“Do you want anything, Zexion?” Xaldin asked a few minutes of silence.

“Same as you will be fine, thank you.” His face indifferent, but his tone was polite as ever. It was similar to the way he spoke to me. “The Superior asked me to go back to the Realm of Beginnings and collect some things later. Number Two still has of yet to return as well…” He didn’t seem that worried about it, more as it was just as passing thought.

“So it’s a retrieval mission?” Axel asked, crossing his arms. He had long since finished breakfast, so why he was still here I wasn’t sure. Marluxia, taking another bite of his pancakes, looked at Zexion curiously.

“Yes. Number Twelve is, unfortunately, supposed to accompany me.”

“Good luck with that.” Marluxia said civilly, deciding to be neither genuine or sarcastic. Axel winced at Zexion’s words. I removed my face from my arms, merely staring at them with interest now. Taking the gamble, I chose to speak up.

“What’s the Realm of Beginnings?”

Xaldin, placing a plate in front of Zexion, stated, “The world you came from.”

I stared at him, my eyes widening in shock. Zexion closed his book and set it down on the table, carefully picking up his sandwich and taking a bite out of it. Xaldin sat down next to him, having put everything he got out away. “You… You’re going back?”

Zexion finished chewing and swallowed, focusing his gaze on me. “That is correct.” I felt a slight chill at his words and brought my hands up to my head, tangling my fingers into my hair as I tried to think of a response, pulling my bangs out of my face. His eye locked me into place.

“W… Why?” I wanted to ask if I could go with-maybe I’d be able to run away, but thinking on it I knew they wouldn’t let me. And if I had another attack like I did with the first portal, I… I don’t think I’d survive it. That had been terrifying. “What are you doing? What do you need to collect?”

“Items.” He responded bluntly, not giving much detail. “We didn’t time your retrieval quite right, and due to your reaction to the Corridors of Darkness it would prove a liability to take you along. As I’m one of the more thorough planners out of our members, the Superior and Number Seven thought it would be best if I were to be the one to go collect what would be necessary for you to remain here. I expect you to make a list of the things you will need from your home.”

That’s… That’s rather nice for a bunch of kidnappers. Huh. Am I… Am I really just going to be “living” here? Xemnas wasn’t actually being serious about me being some kind of “Keeper of Light” was he? Oh dear god… he was, wasn’t he? So I really  _am_ here for protection.

That’s… I’m not sure  _how_  to feel about that.   
  


“O-Okay… but I-I need a pencil and paper…” Unless he had a pen and would rather I just take one of his gloves off and write it on his hand?

Zexion nodded at my words, turning his head to look at Axel. Marluxia was making his way out of the kitchen, having tossed his dishes in the sink, and bid everyone a small goodbye. Axel narrowed his eyes, staring suspiciously at Zexion.

“You aren’t seriously… Why do  _I_ have to get it?”

“Think of it as payment for me doing your job for you,” He suggested, smirking lightly. “A small favor.”

Axel huffed, giving Zexion a dirty look, before he got up and waved his hand. A Dark Corridor opened up in front of him, the redhead scowling. “This is so lame,” He grumbled, walking into it. It closed behind him, vanishing from view. The only ones left in the kitchen now were me, Zexion, and Xaldin…

And the latter looked at me, his violet eyes confused. “What are you even doing on the floor? There are plenty of chairs at the table for you to sit down in.”

I chose not to answer that, just tilting my head and giving a slight shrug. 


	4. Ramblings of the Cheshire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Would it? Or are you scared of bad luck?”
> 
> The other man-the more attractive one that had been hitting on her-smirked. Dice seemed to roll out of his sleeve and into his hand, the man tossing them in the air and catching them. “Thirteen-the number that could save a life or destroy it. Thankfully, the number thirteen happens to be our lucky one.”
> 
> “Is it really?”

 

After Axel returned, I made a list for Zexion. I wasn’t entirely sure why I was going along with all this, but it would be better to remain safe than sorry. I attempted to write as legibly as I could, my handwriting suffering for my skill in drawing. I could type on a keyboard without looking, but when it came to writing with a pencil…

Well, let’s just say that I ended up skipping letters and leaving out words because my pencil couldn’t write out as fast as my brain was thinking, whereas my fingers flew as fast as lightning when I typed away. It was sort of disheartening, but everyone had to have  _something_ bad about them. Mine just happened to be clumsiness and horrible handwriting.

 _I guess Clair was right about one thing,_ I thought, biting my bottom lip as I stared at the piece of paper I was writing on.  _I really am passive submissive. I’m too scared to act out, so I just accept what’s thrown at me…_ I sighed. What I wouldn’t give to have  _some_ kind of backbone. All I can do is use words and even then I constantly stammer and stutter, so it just comes out rather pathetic instead of brave.

Blinking away my thoughts and pushing away the negativity, I forced myself to stand and walked over to the table where Zexion was sitting. He had finished his sandwich not long before Axel had showed up, the redhead leaving the items and then rushing over to who-knows-where. Xaldin was gone, too. While trying to keep my hand from shaking, I handed Zexion the piece of paper.

  
It had normal stuff on it; clothes, toothbrush, my nebulizer and inhalers, my laptop and phone charger, my 3DS with my  _Fire Emblem_ and  _Harvest Moon_ games… I felt a bit like I was pushing it, but they were the ones who were keeping me here so  _blegh~!_ I imagined I stuck my tongue out at the whole Organization-even those people who I have had yet to meet.

“I-I have two houses I switch every week, so…”

He nodded, standing, and tucked the list into a pocket that blended in with his black leather organization coat. I wouldn’t have even known it was there if I didn’t just watch him tuck the paper away. “I’ll be back momentarily. Don’t bother waiting.”

So… just wander around? Is that what he means by that?

I blinked and tilted my head, knitting my eyebrows together as I watched him open a portal and walk through it. I thought about following him, but decided against it as I didn’t really feel like dying or going through a whole lot of pain as of the moment.

Now… what to do? 

…

“You insolent  _fool!_ Do you not realize how  _important_ this is!? Don’t-stop that!” The man let out a shrill shriek, green eyes widening in a mix of rage and horror at the sight of the Mad Hatter dousing his research papers with tea. Vexen completely froze, utterly paralyzed as he watched the cheerful old man swipe a butterknife covered with strawberry jam over the soaked object.

“Oh my~!” The Hatter gasped dramatically, eyes widening as he brought a hand up over his mouth. “It ripped! Dear me, dear me, how to fix this!?”

“Mustard?” A hare suggested, holding up a yellow bottle. The Hatter grinned and reached out to grab it, before pausing and scowling.

“Mustard!?” He exclaimed, disgusted. “No, no, no; that simply won’t do! Now, tabasco sauce~!” He laughed loudly, giggling away as he poured the spicy liquid on top. Vexen could feel his veins popping, his right eye twitching furiously as anger boiled like a fire inside of him. “Oh, my, my, my~! That’s a little  _too_ spicy!”

Picking up the soaked sheet of paper he tried to dry it off my waving it in the air, but the wet paper only tore more and now instead of being in two pieces… it was in five. The writing was completely illegible now.

“Well, I think it’s a few days too late.”

“FEW DAYS TOO LATE!?” Vexen exploded, enraged. “I’m going to  _destroy_ you!”

“Destroy who?” The Hatter echoed, confused, before grinning and laughing again. “Oh! You meant  _enjoy_ , too! Ahahaha! Enjoy some tea, indeed!” Pushing the chair out and standing up on it, he grabbed hold of a broken tea cup and an empty pot. “Tea, tea, tea, that’s all we need~! Without a very merry unbirthday, we dance and sing!” He then paused, no long skipping and jumping in his chair. “Oh, wait… we do that anyway! Hahaha!”

Vexen had enough. Ice gathering up in his hand, he summoned his shield and charged. The Mad Hatter, still dancing, leaped up onto the table and started to walk all over the dishes and food as he sung. Vexen’s eye twitched again and he let out a yell, using his strength and magic to create and giant spiral of ice to form out of the ground and fly at them.

The Hatter slipped and fell at that moment, miraculously dodging the blow, and the March Hare burst into ridiculous laughter. “There are some who dance and some who sing, but most of all there are those that drink tea~!”

“Like you?” The Hare joked, singing as he pointed. The Hatter spun on a heel, sliding on the ice Vexen had created to knock him off the table.

“Like who!?”

  
“Like you!”

“Oh me!? Yes, me! Oh my-” He flew off the table, swinging on the ice ramp Vexen had made, the angered scientist charged. The Hatter ended up flying a bit farther than he had anticipated though, for before they knew it the Hatter had gotten stuck in the window to his own house. Vexen sent more ice towards him, ready to impale him, but before the ice could reach the Hatter managed to slid his way in through the crack he was stuck in and climb into his house.

Then, within seconds, he suddenly appeared out of the chimney and sang.

“Oh no~! It’s almost like I got twinkle toes.” He laughed, pulling out a leg from the inside of the chimney and taking his shoe off, wiggling his toes. The March Hare was laughing so hard he was crying, and some of the tea pots let out whistling noises.

“Just  _die_ already, you insolent creature!”

“Just fly?” The Hatter asked, jumping out of the chimney and onto the roof. He jumped again, landed on his butt, and slid off the roof tiles to sail through the air and land magically onto his chair at the tea table. “Oho! So you want to fly!”

“No, I want you to  _die!_ ” In a bright blue flash of light, Vexen made a sword of ice materialize in his hand and charged. He swung, the Hatter jumping out of the way in surprise with a laugh, and the chair he had been sitting in broke.

“He wants to fly!” To Vexen’s alarm the Hare had vanished from his view, appearing behind him and latching onto the arm he was using to hold the shield. The Hatter bounced on his feet, grinning madly from ear to ear, and appeared behind from the scientist’s other side. He latched onto his arm.

“Then let us grant his wish! Wee~”

“WOOO~!” The Hare finished, the two mad men picking him up and swinging him far…  _far_ into the air and away from the Hatter’s House. Vexen screamed, his sword evaporating into nothing, and he held his shield in front of him protectively as he crashed through trees, branches breaking beneath him as he fell.

Thankfully, the trees acted as a buffer to his descent, the deep-set jarring to his shield arm lessening as he landed thanks to his slowed momentum. This allowed him to remain mostly unharmed as he stood, dismissing his cobalt shield as he shook out his right arm with a grimace. As he brushed the imaginary dirt off from his coat he glared out into the forest, staring at nothing in particular. “Insolent baboons,” He huffed, cursing their dumb luck and questioning where exactly he now was.

…

I sat there on the opposite couch, staring in curiosity as Lexaeus fiddled with a chain link puzzle. I had been wandering around for a while, and after about an hour or two I had found myself back at the room I had first arrived in. To my surprise the ginger giant had been there, fiddling with some kind puzzle. When I neared, I realized it was one of those chain link puzzles that you had to figure out how to take apart and then put back together.

“...!” He blinked, retracting in what appeared to be surprise as the two pieces came apart completely. Then, without a word, he got back to putting them back together. It went on like this for ten minutes. “...” He really doesn’t talk much, does he? Still, it’s interesting to see how the puzzle actually works. I don’t think I got to see one in person before.

If Lexaeus was bothered by me watching him trying to solve the puzzle he didn’t show it. Maybe he just didn’t care? He seemed like that kind of person.  _Nobodies… do they really not have hearts?_ I found it hard to believe. They seemed like regular people to me… though Demyx and Zexion both said that they didn’t really  _feel_ emotion.

“I don’t get it.”

Lexaeus paused, turning his eyes away from the puzzle to look at me. I had my legs crossed, leaning over with my elbow on my thigh and my hand propping my chin up as I stared at the puzzle. Raising my gaze I jumped, realizing he was looking at me. Finding this as good a time as any since I had accidentally spoken out loud, I decided to talk to him.

“If you guys don’t “feel” emotions then why do you all seem so normal? You guys aren’t any different from anyone else I know. I-It doesn’t make sense.” Well, minus all the magic and stuff…

“...We don’t feel emotions.” He clarified. I blinked at him, not getting it. I was surprised he even spoke after how quiet he had been. That was literally the second thing he’s ever said to me. “We merely… “remember”... what it’s like to feel. Back from when we were human.”

I gave a confused look. That’s the exact same thing I was told before. I tried to make sense of it. “So… you’re just mimicking emotions?” He nodded, starting to fiddle with the chain links again. They clicked together. He started trying to take them apart again. “That’s...“ Depressing. I was extremely emotional, so it was hard to imagine what it could be like to not have emotions. I sat up slightly, placing a hand against my chest.

_Ba-Dump… Ba-Dump…_

The way they sounded like robots when speaking… apathetic and not caring about anything… Even the way Demyx tried to sound cheerful was still empty-as if he was lacking a key component to being truly happy. Their eyes which all seemed so dead…

I wanted to say sorry, to apologize for what had happened to them, but I knew I couldn’t. It wouldn’t change anything. I didn’t even have anything to do with them becoming Nobodies. I exhaled quietly and leaned back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling. I debated about what to do before sitting back up, looking at the only other person in the room again.

“W-Well… it’s nice to meet you anyway.”

He paused again. His blue eyes focused on me.

“E-Emotions or no emotions, you… you seem friendly so…” Oh god, I’m making a total fool of myself. Shut up, Irene, shut up~! “Um. Yeah.” I gave an awkward nod, pondering why I didn’t have the magical ability to vanish into thin air or teleport into my new room. “That’s… yeah.”

Lexaeus didn’t speak for a long moment. He fiddled with his puzzle some more, completely silent, and when he finally said something I almost jumped out of my skin. “You should learn to greet people properly…” O-Okay. Will do. His eyes flickered back to me. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

With that done and over with, his attention remained focused on the puzzle and I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding in, my heart racing and feeling like it was about ready to give out from stress.

…

“Give me a proper answer already, you bloody feline!” The blond man growled, glaring at the cat that was currently resting on a tree branch. The animal purred at him, grinning ear to ear, its eyes flashing with mischief. “Which is the way to the Queen’s Castle!?”

“Oh, but I  _did_ give you an answer.” The cat retorted, seeming amused by the man’s reaction.

“You just gave me more riddles! Which way do I go!?”

“Well, any way of course~. That way, this way, up, down, sideways, even horizontally…” The cat twisted its body, his fingers and toes pointing in opposite directions as he floated down until he was in front of the man’s face. Luxord looked ready to disembowel the riddling creature. “It all depends on where you want to go.”

“I told you where I wanted to go!”

“Did you? Where to?”

“The Queen’s Castle!”

“The Castle?”

“Yes!”

“Yes, what?”

“That I wanted to go to the Queen’s Castle!”

“You do?”

He let out a frustrated yell, bringing his hands up and digging his fingers into his scalp. “You’re not making  _any_ sense! Just give me directions!”

“Give you directions where?”

“To the Queen’s Castle!”

“What Castle? Which Queen?”

“What?” Luxord blinked, dumbfounded and rather surprised at that. “There’s more than one?”

The cat’s grin broadened and vanished, only to reappear on the man’s shoulder, curling his tail around his neck. “But of course. You have the Red Queen, who rules over this domain, and then there’s the White Queen… who has been shunned from her castle by her cruel sister. From benevolence to malevolence; one could say the White Queen’s heart was full of light… but light begets darkness, and her sister is certainly  _full_ of it.”

“The Red Queen is full of darkness, you say?” His anger diminished quickly at that. His job was to try and turn the Queen of Hearts into a powerful Heartless, but if she’s made  _entirely_ up of darkness then… well, she could be the one the Organization is looking for. “You wouldn’t happen to know if she was the  _Keeper_ of Darkness, would you? And this… White Queen of yours, the one filled with Light?”

“Oh, I’m afraid the Light’s already been taken.” The cat chuckled, fading and reappearing back on the tree branch, balancing on his head. “But if it’s the darkness you’re looking for, I’d say go in  _that_ direction.” He pointed with his tail. Luxord turned his head. “A rather  _dark_ fellow appeared not long ago.”

“So I’ll find the one I’m looking for if I go in that direction?”

“What direction?”

“The one you just told me to go in!”

“Did I say that? Hmm.”

“Yes!”

“Yes, what?”

“That you were the one who- _ugh!”_ Luxord was going to strangle him. He really  _really_ was. His fingers were twitching, desperate to wrap them around the grinning cat’s neck and hang him. Of course, he wasn’t  _really_ angry… He was just feigning anger because that’s how he would have reacted in this situation if he had a heart. Though he was certain that if he  _did_ strangle the cat, he would have a bloody good time doing so…

“Number Ten!” A voice suddenly called out. Luxord never thought he’d be so “relieved” to hear such a nasally voice. “What on earth are you doing arguing with a feline!?”

While it was a bit childish, he couldn’t help but complain and point at the creature, “He won’t stop speaking in riddles!” Vexen narrowed his eyes, raising an eyebrow and staring at the snickering cat. He blinked when the animal faded into nothing. Curiosity piqued, the scientist stepped closer and looked around. Vexen looked down in surprise to see the creature resting itself upon the blond organization member’s head, snickering.

Luxord scowled, glaring at the tail that was swishing contentedly in front of his face. While Vexen was amused by his companion’s misery, he couldn’t help but bring a hand up to his chin and stare at the animal with narrowed eyes. “Interesting…”

“Can we just skip the formalities,  _please?_ I’m about ready to kill this creature.”

“Be silent, Number Ten. This is a prime specimen… Just what  _are_ you?”

“What am I?” The cat echoed, startling the scientist with the fact that he could talk and form intelligent sentences. “I’m what people call… The Cheshire Cat. One of a kind and one alone.” He started to fade away in stripes this time. “Like everyone else here in Wonderland… I’m not quite exactly “all there”.” He snickered, before floating down and fading.

Soon it was just his head that remained, bouncing up and down on a different tree branch this time. The head stopped bouncing, spun, and rolled down the branch. As it landed his body came back into sight and he posed, standing on his tail.

“Or so I say, but maybe I’m more than what there is? To be or not to be, that is the question, yet is it really all that’s worth? What joy is there in a heart? To be…  _whole_.” His head vanished this time, only his body remaining. “Surely it’s less complicated to remain as you are now? Feelings are trivial things after all, and it’s not like they’re ever gone for good...”

“Don’t be absurd!” Vexen scowled, though was stunned to find that the cat knew of their predicament as Nobodies. Luxord was still scowling, his arms crossed irritably. “We must regain our hearts! It’s the whole goal of the Organization! Why do you think we’re looking for the Keepers of Darkness and Light in the first place!?”

That caught Luxord’s attention. “There’s an actual reason? What do you know, Vexen?”

Vexen stood up straight, huffing. “Unproven theories and hypotheses. The Superior didn’t want to give out much detail, so I thought I’d take it into my own hands and start researching the matter. So far, all I know is that the Keepers of Hearts have something to do with why we, as Nobodies, exist when we are not truly meant to be, and why Heartless are able to be derived from the hearts of man. Other than that, I know nothing, and I’ll continue to know nothing because that  _imbecilic Hatter destroyed all my notes!_ ”

“What Hatter?”

“THE MAD HATTER!”

The cheshire grinned at their argument. “We’re all a little mad here, don’t you think? Particularly you, as of the moment.”

“Be silent!”

“Silence there is, all around… birds chirp, flowers sing, but listening… listening…” He faded. Then, out of nowhere, his face reappeared in front of Vexen’s face and caused the scientist to jump back. “Look.”

At that, there was suddenly the sound of bushes rustling. Both Vexen and Luxord turned to look, the cat vanishing completely out of view. A young woman pushed her way out, cursing, and almost fell over as dizziness overwhelmed her. Slender and with a height of five foot eight, the girl’s hazel green eyes lifted to stare at the two men in surprise. A light coating of freckles were splashed across her face.

“You’re not from Wonderland,” She stated bluntly, blinking. “You look nothing like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.”

Luxord stared. The woman was very pretty, what with her high cheekbones and her short auburn hair. He certainly didn’t have a heart to feel with, but he knew an attractive young woman he saw one. “Well, lovely lady, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” He smirked.

Raising an eyebrow the girl stood up straighter, popping her hip out and placing a hand on her waist. “Excuse me?”

The man stepped forward, giving a slight bow as he held an arm out in front of his chest. “My name is Luxord… would you give me the honor of telling me your name, fine miss?”

The girl stared, dumbfounded, before groaning and leaning her head back. “You’ve  _got_ to be kidding me. Just-Just stop. Please. Before you hurt yourself.”

…

I ended up falling asleep on the couch. I wasn’t for sure of how long I was out, but when I woke up Lexaeus was gone and the scary man with the long blue hair and the scar on his face was standing at the end of the room. He was almost like a statue, completely unmoving. It was highly unnerving.

I quietly got up, nervous that my loud footsteps might disturb him, and was halfway to the door when a portal suddenly opened up in the room. “I can’t  _believe_ I had go with you to get a little brat’s things! I hate children! Why do I have to help babysit one!?” I froze, turning my head in shock when I heard a female’s voice.

A heeled boot stepped out of the portal, followed by a slender figure accentuated by the tight-fitting leather coat, and short blond hair neatly brushed back. I blinked, confused when I saw that her hair had two antenna-like things sticking up. Was she trying to be an ant?

I decided not to question it, but when her steely green gaze focused on me my heart almost stopped beating in fear. Her eyes were just as dead as everyone else’s, but her expression was so filled with hate that even a grown man would have been scared.

“You!” I jolted, standing up right and stumbling a little in the process. She marched towards me, a bag in her hands.

“Y-Yes!?” I squeaked fearfully. I flinched when she threw the bag at me angrily, using so much force it managed to knock me back. I yelped, stumbling and falling onto my rear. “Ow!”

“Shut up! It’s your fault! You stupid, idiotic  _brat_ -couldn’t you go get your own things? But  _oh no_ , you get  _sick_ in the Corridors of Darkness so  _I_ had to go get them! I have so many better things to do than help babysit  _you_. Go to hell!”   
  


I was left in stunned silence, unsure of how to react to that, and could only watch as she stormed off. I narrowed my eyes at her, frowning, and pushed myself up onto my knees to look at the bag she had thrown at me. Inside of it were clothes and… female products. Well, at least now I understand why they had to send a girl with Zexion to grab my things. That would have been awkward.

I stood, holding the bag up, and muttered, “Rude,” quietly.

“Indeed. Unfortunately, that’s her on “good days” as well.” I looked up in alarm, surprised to see Zexion standing in front of me with a smirk. He’s always grinning like that, isn’t he? I stared at him for a moment, observing his facial features, before looking back down at the bag I was holding. “Here.”

The bag he handed me was far heavier than the one the girl had thrown at me. In it was my laptop- “You actually grabbed it!?” My voice went up a bit higher than I had intended, but it wasn’t really something I could control. I looked up at the slate blue-haired man in shock and awe. His expression remained indifferent. I continued rummaging through the bag as best as I could without dropping anything. “And my paints! And canvases! Dude, you’re amazing!” Even my  _Percy Jackson_ series and the Shakespeare Tragedies Clair had got me were in there.

“...Not many people here in the Organization have an…  _affinity_ for the arts.” He replied cooly. “I noticed you had a few books lying around and I grabbed those for you as well.  _Shakespeare_ is a good choice of literature. I took a look through it out of curiosity seeing as we do not have such books here.”

I gaped at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. This guy…  _This guy_ … Okay, it’s official. He and Demyx are officially two of the coolest people in this place. And Lexaeus. Lexaeus was pretty nice. “Th-Thank you…”

He simply gave a small nod before walking off, heading to the blue-haired man standing by the giant glass window on the other end of the room. After standing there for a few more moments I decided to attempt to find my way back to my room. It didn’t go very well, and after a while I decided to just take a rest in the hallway so my aching feet would stop hurting. This place was  _huge_ ; I’m pretty sure I actually ended up on one of the basement floors.

I groaned and fell onto my side, curling into a ball as I tried to figure out what to do. I was so tired; I didn’t really feel like walking around again. My stomach also hurt a bit, as it had been quite a long while since I last ate and two measly cinnamon poptarts isn’t going to stave hunger off very long.

“Well, if it isn’t everyone’s favorite new celebrity~!” I shrieked, jumping up into a sitting position, and looked around wildly to try and find the voice. “Up here, kiddo.” Swallowing down the fear, I slowly raised my head to look up at the ceiling. There Mr. Eyepatch was, body hanging halfway out upside down from a portal on the ceiling.

“H-How’s the weather up there?” I choked, wondering just briefly if he was going to hurt me for the way Skylar had harmed him.

Mr. Eyepatch smirked. Next thing I knew he was dropping down from the ceiling, doing a small flip, and landed on all fours in front of me. I yelped, scooting my back closer to the wall. “Not as good as down here. Your little friend packs quite a wallop, you know?”

“W-Well, naturally,” I stammered in response, holding the bags of items close to my chest as I started to stand. I tensed, prepared to make a run for it if it was necessary. “She’s a very violent person. I-I’m surprised you’re still able to move; I...I half expected you to still be stuck there.”

“Pfft.  _As if._ Like a little girl can take a guy like  _me_ down. I’m not just any regular old dude, you know? ‘Course, I think you realized that when you watched me throw your little buddy halfway across the room.”

That’s true. That is very… very true. Um. Oh god. Okay, note to self. Avoid Mr. Eyepatch at all cost. And that one girl. Everyone else? Totally fine. They’re friendly. This guy? Nope. No. Not at all. Oh jesus…  _Chris and Skylar are okay, right?_ Chris had been bleeding last time I saw him, but he was tough so he should be alright. Skylar… well, she’s a force to be reckoned with.

“Aw, what’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? Or are you starstruck by my greatness?”

“O-Oh, yes, I-I’m completely stunned by your aura of… of… gloriousness.” I waved my hand in the air as I spoke, keeping the bags close to my chest with my other arm, and let the sarcasm roll off of my tongue. “It’s only normal that I wouldn’t know how to respond.”

He snorted. “Thanks for tryin’, kid. The sarcasm’s cute. What the hell are you doing down here, anyway? Shouldn’t you be in the lounge or something? What do you somebodies even do?”

“...”

“Are you lost?”

“...Not particularly…”

“Oh my god, you totally are!” He laughed loudly, oddly finding my situation hilarious. “And what is that-is that the stuff Zexy got for you?”

 _Zexy? Does he mean Zexion?_ That… That actually kind of sounds like “sexy”.  _Sexy Zexy…_  Well, I mean, it works. He is rather attractive-granted, so were half the other people I’ve met in this place. Even Larxene, cold and cruel as she was, was highly pretty. It’s actually starting to make me feel rather inferior-though, considering I  _was_ their… um… (victim?) (guest?) I guess I was supposed to.

“Figured Xemnas would send him. Even after how he left me to the wrath of the teenagers.” Mr. Eyepatch shuddered. He didn’t seem to be aware Larxene had went with Zexion to… what was it again? Land of Beginnings? Agh. Oh well, I’m sure it’ll come up in conversation later. “Your little friend was  _not_ easy to convince to let me go. I ended up having to open a portal right below me! Do you know how uncomfortable that is, kid? One minute you’re falling and then the next everything is rightside up! I already have bruises all over my back from your little girl pal!”

“O-Oh… uh, sorry…”

I flinched when he reached out, and stumbled when he suddenly slapped me upside the arm. “Well whattya know, the kiddo has manners! Knows apologizing for her friend’s misdoings is proper! Why, if I had a trophy I’d give it to you.” He laughed. I stepped a bit away from him. “What’s wrong, kid?”

“...Who  _are_ you?”

He blinked. The smirk spread even broader across his face and he stepped back, pointing at his chest with his thumb. “The name’s Xigbar. I happen to be Xemnas’ right hand man! So if you wanna talk to him, you have to go through me first.” He laughed, moved forward and gave another hard slap on the shoulder, before walking past with a lazy wave. “See you later, kiddo. I’ve got errands to run. Saix’ll kill me if I don’t hand over my report. Haha!”

“O-Okay…? B-Bye-bye…” I waited until he was gone before heading in the opposite direction. I had to find my room  _eventually,_ right? How many floors did this stupid place even have? It would be nice if it wasn’t all white and silver either; at least make the rooms color-coded or something!

I wandered for another couple of hours, and was about ready to give up and just collapse in a corner and sleep, when I suddenly ran into someone I recognized. My eyes lit up.

“Demyx!” The blond sitar player had been strolling casually throughout the halls. He paused when he heard his name get called and he turned his head, peering over his shoulder with confused eyes. I quickly ran up to him-well, more like jogging seeing how heavy the things I was carrying were, and had to catch my breath once I made it over.

He grinned. “Irene~! What’s up? Uh… what do you got there?” He pointed curiously at the bags I was holding. I tried to ignore the joy I felt at my potential new friend remembering my name.

“My stuff!” I beamed in response. I explained, seeing his surprised expression, “Zexion and some blonde chick went to grab them for me!” I didn’t like her, so screw her if I didn’t feel like using her name.

“Blonde chick- _you met Larxene!?_ ” I wasn’t expecting him to look so horrified. I remembered what Zexion said-about how her “rudeness” was existent even on her good days. “She didn’t hurt you, did she? She’s such a bully! She threatened to break my sitar once when I was just chilling out in the lounge!” It didn’t really seem like concern more as it was curiosity. His fear of her seemed semi-genuine though. Considering they couldn’t “feel” emotions, they were pretty good actors aside from the lack of sincerity and… well,  _life_ in their voices.

“N-No… she just yelled at me.” I decided to leave out the part of her throwing the bag of clothes at me and knocking me onto the ground. That was mostly due to my lack of balance, anyway. “Is she the scariest person here?”

“Uh… well…” He reached a hand up, scratching the back of his head. “There’s actually someone much worse than her. She just doesn’t stop being mean. Saix though- the blue haired guy with the scars on his face? He’ll go completely  _beserk_ if you press all his buttons. So word of advice; don’t make him angry. Okay?” I think he mentioned something about that before… maybe I should start writing all of this down? It’s too much to try and remember all at once.

Okay, so mental noting- the friendlies: Demyx, Zexion, Marluxia, Lexaeus, Axel. To be worried about: Xigbar, Larxene, Saix, Xaldin… The unknowns: Xemnas, Vexen, Luxord. Got it. Okay, I think I can do this. Wow, I’m actually rather proud of myself; I’ve got their names down. Woo!

Feeling a little more confident in myself I nodded and grinned. “Got it. Um… I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“...Do you remember the way to my bedroom?”

He stared. Then, out of nowhere, a grin spread across his face and he started laughing. I scrunched my nose up at Demyx, making a face. If my hands were free, I probably would have smacked him lightly on the arm.

“I-I’ve only been here a day! I-I don’t have the way memorized!”

Demyx waved his hand in the air, the other clamped over his mouth, and he tried to force his chuckles to die down. “S-Sorry, sorry; It’s this way.” It was hard to tell if he was being genuine, but since Nobodies didn’t really “have” emotions, or so I’ve been told, it probably wasn’t. The laughter wasn’t that earnest either.

As I followed Demyx down the hall, I couldn’t but ask, “Why “Nobodies” though? Isn’t that self-deprecating?”

“Self-whatta?”

I blinked. “Degrading.”

“...You mean insulting?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I mean, that’s kinda the point, I guess…” He frowned, biting the inside of his cheek as he made a face of confusion. I struggled to keep up with his long strides. It should be a crime to be so tall. “We’re not really supposed to exist. We only managed to come into being because of someone dying, right? We’re not whole. We’re just… empty vessels-a shell.” Demyx lowered his hand from his head and rested it against his chest, digging his fingers into the leather. “Shadows of who we used to be. To be considered as  _people_ is… well, it’s what we’re here for.”

I frowned, seeing how sad his smile looked.

“I act like I do because that’s how I  _remember_ acting… does that make any sense? We still age, even without it, but… I dunno. I just… I miss feeling  _happy_.” He looked down at me, almost helplessly. “You get it?”

His description wasn’t too far off from Lexaeus’. Tilting my head in thought, I gave a small shrug. “I think so... “ I was still a little confused, but I think was I coming to a firm grasp of what they were trying to say. “It just seems like without hearts you guys are chronically depressed.”

Demyx stopped walking abruptly. He blinked, staring down at me, only to let out a small laugh. “It kinda does, doesn’t it? I haven’t been with the Organization long, but I mean-what they say makes sense. Kingdom Hearts is an almighty power, so if we get enough hearts it  _should_ be able to grant us hearts of our own!”

“...” I looked up at him alarmed. What exactly did he mean by  _“get enough hearts”_? He didn’t mean they were going to… to  _take_ hearts from people, did they? They weren’t… going to take  _my_ heart, were they? They said they were trying to “protect” me. S-So… why?

“Ah... “ He paused, looking at me rather nervously. “I-I don’t think I was supposed to tell you that. Um, but it’s no big deal, right? Knowing about that… haha...ha... “ He groaned, bringing his hands up and burying them against his face. “Oh, who am I kidding? Saix is going to  _kill_ me.”

_If I stay here they might kill me… but if I run away they’ll lock me up and try to kill me anyway._

I awkwardly shifted the bags so that I was holding them with my strong arm, reaching over with my left hand to pat Demyx’s arm. “I-I won’t tell. It’s okay.”

“Really!?” He brightened, seeming to relax at that. “Aw, you’re awesome! Oh, hey, I think this is the place.” He came to a stop and I peered over his side to look. The door looked the same as all the others. How could he tell the difference? Opening it, we were greeted with a bland white room that had all my stuff strewn over. “Yup, this is it!”

H-How…? How could he tell? I’m pretty sure I walked by this place three times! Everything looks the same! Aghhh! “Th-Thank you…” I stammered, carefully maneuvering around him and into the bedroom. I plopped the bags down on the bed. Exhaustion washed over me.

“Hey, no problem! Glad I could help.” He grinned. If he was a “Nobody”, then could he really even “feel” glad? I decided not to question. They seem like people, they act like people, I’m going to think of them as people. Nobodies, Somebodies- it doesn’t matter. Even if they don’t exactly have “emotions” they do still have “thoughts”, so.. “I’ll come by later, ‘kay? Sleep tight!”

“Y-You too…”

With that, he closed the door and left.

…

Pushing her way through the bushes and kicking a mushroom off of her foot, she approached the two men in the leather black coats. She eyed them curiously, surprised to see just  _how_ tall they were, and frowned. Maria was in no way short, but these men were towers. Her gaze lifted upwards to the cat swishing his tail back-and-forth, grinning down at them as he rested cozily on a tree branch.

She knew right away who she was looking at; he was her favorite character in the story book  _Alice in Wonderland._ Mysterious, mischievous, and never giving a proper answer… yet perhaps the wisest one of all? “Are you guys arguing with the Cheshire Cat?”

The cat’s grin seemed to widen while the two males looked at her-one in surprise, the other suspicion. “And what business do you have here in the forest of doors?” The cat inquired, grinning. “Scared of a little mouse?”

Maria narrowed her eyes. She watched him lift his body up, shifting until he was sitting, and peered down at her with big yellow eyes. She thought about how to respond, knowing very well he could just twist her words and refrain from giving her the answer she sought.

Seeing that she wasn’t going to respond the cat snickered. “Hickory, Dickory, Dock the mouse went up the clock… The clock struck one and the mouse ran down. Twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six,” He slid down the tree, floating down and twirling, before his lips curled upwards, his smile threatening to crack his face in half as he continued, “five…  _four._ Three. Two. One. Why is there not a thirteen on the clock?”

Maria just stared blankly, following the cat’s movements as he floated around the two bickering men. The Cheshire’s eyes flickered knowingly as he swerved around the tallest man-the one with the long dirty blond hair and the acid green eyes- and she watched the man scowl. “There are twenty-four hours in a day; it would be improvident if there were to be thirteen.”

“Would it? Or are you scared of bad luck?”

The other man-the more attractive one that had been hitting on her-smirked. Dice seemed to roll out of his sleeve and into his hand, the man tossing them in the air and catching them. “Thirteen-the number that could save a life or destroy it. Thankfully, the number  _thirteen_ happens to be our lucky one.”

“Is it really?”

“Why thirteen?” Maria inquired, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest. She didn’t understand the importance.

“What about thirteen?” The cat questioned.

She frowned. “You asked why there wasn’t a thirteen on the clock.”

“Did I? That  _does_ sound like something I would say…”

Maria’s eyebrow twitched. It was then the green-eyed man turned and looked down at her, scowling. “Just who  _are_ you?” He demanded. She frowned, a grimace decorating her face. What does it matter to him who she was? At least his friend was polite-lecherous he may seem to be.

“Give me one reason as to why I should tell you.”

His eyes narrowed even further, only to widen suddenly. “You…” Before she knew it Maria was jumping back, barely evading getting sliced by the sharp edges of a shield that materialized onto the man’s arm. “Quick, you blithering fool! Grab her!” The blond looked started.

“Why?”

“She’s the one!”

Maria slid to the side, rolling out of the way of the green-eyed man’s attack. He caused ice to shoot up out of the ground, nearly impaling her, and she quickly held her hands out once she got on her feet. Gripping the handles of the blades that appeared in a flash of dark light, she twirled them and thrust in as much energy as she could to get the flames to start.

Charging forward, her blades and his shield clashed-fire and ice canceling each other and causing steam to evaporate in the air. The handsome blond, however, quickly figuring out what the green-eyed man had meant, flicked his hands and rolled the dice, multiple lower nobodies (Gamblers) forming and materializing from them. “Seize her!” He ordered.

Flicking their own dies, the Gambler Nobodies quickly got up and charged flickering through the air like paper and slicing at the woman. Leaning back and swinging with her left blade, she used the right to keep pushing against the green-eyed man’s shield. “Who are you people!?” She demanded, glaring at them. “What do you want!?”

“You are the Keeper of Darkness, are you not?” The man struggling against her asked, one of his eyes going a bit crazy-looking as he grinned maliciously. “We have strict orders to take you to our Superior; for “safe-guarding”.”

“And you think  _attacking me_ is going to make me believe that or want to go with you!?”

“I decided it would be best not to take risks.” Seeing the spark in his eyes Maria quickly leaped back, barely sliding between the two Gamblers’ that had tried to grab her. The blond flicked his hands, grabbing onto the cards that slid out of his sleeve, before throwing them in her general direction. Alarm flickered across her face for a moment.

Swinging her blades around her in a wide arc as she carefully sunk down to her knees, spinning on her toes, she managed to slice some of the cards that had been sent at her. “I’m not going to be anyone’s  _prisoner_ again!” She shouted, glaring furiously at the men before quickly slashing upwards and getting rid of a gambler. One sliced at her, getting her on the cheek, but it only served to fuel her anger more.

The flames spiraled, flickering and dancing out of control, and before long part of the forest was on fire as she shoved her blade into a gambler’s stomach.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something, love,” The blond man told her, taking a few steps forward until he was standing beside his green-eyed companion. Decapitating the next and final Gambler, she focused her glare on the men. The blue-eyed blond smirked. “You aren’t  _going_ to be our prisoner. That implies we’ll be keeping you locked in a cage or a single room, refusing you access to anything else.”

“You may rest assured that you have full ability to roam.” The blond’s companion spoke, his smirk still remaining.

“Bullshit.”

“Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” The blond asked curiously, grinning. Maria’s eyebrow twitched. She tightened her hold on her blades, ready to charge and slice them, when she suddenly felt cold all over-ice wrapping around her and freezing her in place. “Oh~ Good job, Number Four. Distraction tactics.”

“Of course.” The green-eyed man smirked, watching as the flames on her blades got put out. He waved his hand, opening a portal, and placed a hand on the ice-prison. He dismissed his shield. “Now get over here and help me lug her into the portal before she breaks out of it. She’s fire, after all, and it doesn’t take long for those with that ability to break free.”

“Of course.” He responded, quickly making his way over and helping him push her into the portal. 


	5. Messy Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jumping back to avoid being hit, Maria landed several yards away, balancing on the balls of her feet as she eyed him, taking in the size and force of his black and onyx weapon. She changed her footing, black vein-like markings running around the exposed flesh of her wounds. Bracing, she rushed again, charging at him with intense speed before stopping just a few feet before him and leaping into the air; twisting as she flipped over him, aiming to land a blow to his back.

To say the castle was being wrecked with havoc would be an understatement. Nobody was prepared for the onslaught of flames that came once the ice Vexen had locked the woman in broke. There, in the middle of the lounge, Maria was slicing and slashing at Vexen and Luxord with a vicious vigor; Lexaeus, Zexion, Saix, and Marluxia watching from their various places in the room.

Zexion and Lexaeus had been casually sitting on the couch, Zexion reading his book and Lexaeus working on his chain link puzzle again, whereas Marluxia was arranging a vase of flowers on the couch on the opposite end of the room. Saix, with his long blue hair and menacing amber eyes, stood straight and still, composure calm and cold as he remained beside the window that revealed the giant half-shaped heart of a moon outside.

Vexen was struggling against the woman’s attacks, her fiery swords hacking away at his shield of ice faster than one could think. Luxord was out cold, having only lasted eight minutes into the fight before he got a rather nasty gash across his chest and was slammed into the wall. Maria let out a yell, bringing both her blades down and finally breaking the dirty blonde’s shield into chunks of ice.

He let out a shout in response, the force of it breaking sending him stumbling back as pieces hit him in the front, and Maria quickly slammed the butt of her right sword handle into his stomach before stepping back just far enough to to slam her knee into his side, crunching against his ribs and causing him to fall sideways, rolling and crashing into the coffee table in front of the couch Marluxia was at. He groaned, struggling to push himself up, but the books and flower vases that were residing on the table had fallen on top of him, knocking him back down.

Marluxia stared down at the man lying unconscious in front of him distastefully, his sky colored blue eyes showing just how unimpressed he was with Vexen’s failure. The only amusement he received from his plunder was the way the flowers were surrounding his body-almost as if he were in a coffin of roses and carnations. Picking up a daisy that had landed on the top of Vexen’s head Marluxia stood, the graceful assassin holding the flower up to his nose and inhaling the scent softly with closed eyes.

Maria was breathing heavily, swords held tensely at her sides as she looked around, her eyes darting around the room warily. She turned, getting into a stance as she glared with narrowed eyes at the men opposite of her. Her gaze latched onto Marluxia, him being the only one standing aside from the blue-haired man in the corner with the scar. “What do you want?” She growled.

The pink-haired man ignored her, simply opening his cold eyes and gazing at her with no expression aside from a frown. “Flowers are such delicate things… but their fragrance have always been more alluring than that of a human. A Nobody, Somebody, even a Keeper such as yourself… to act without care towards your surroundings…” Raising a hand up and dropping the daisy, rose petals materialized into the air as he swung his right arm out at his side. A long pink-bladed scythe appeared, his fingers wrapping around the pole delicately. “I refuse to forgive someone who treats flowers so  _horribly!_ ”

And then he was running, lunging at her and swinging the long-distanced scythe without remorse. Maria’s eyes widened before she jumped back, letting out a shout of surprise when the blade nearly sliced her stomach open. “Shit!”

She dashed back as he continued to swing his scythe, dodging and evading as best she could before flipping over the couch between Zexion and Lexaeus. She moved into the large open space in the lounge, glaring as Marluxia jumped over the couch; watching as he gracefully landed softly on his feet as rose petals fell around his feet.

“I suggest accepting your death with dignity. It’s more than what you allowed the flowers.” He seethed as he slowly stepped towards her, the metal of his scythe grinding across the ground, causing a high pitched screech to echo throughout the room before he changed his stance. Adjusting his hold on his weapon so the curve of the blade was sent parallel to the floor, he lunged again. He swung wide, sweeping in a large arc as he made to close the distance between he and his new found prey. Maria cursed, readjusting her blades in her hands as she jumped back, moving her arms in an X like motion, fire surging out before her. Marluxia’s eyes widened, skidding to a stop as he swung his blade back around him to hold it with both hands; scowling at the crimson flames set before him.

He looked her over through the flames, watching as the light cascaded against her pale skin and hazel eyes. He could see the anger there, the emptiness. The hollow feeling of betrayal. Like a skeleton flower wilting in the rain.

Hollow though she may seem, she knew nothing of the emptiness they felt. Of the true hell of a Nobody. And that he could not withstand.

He flipped his scythe around in his hand until it resided behind him, held upside in his hand. His left arm now raised out before him, vines swirled forth; rose petals and thorns snaking out in a flurry of pink and green, lashing over the fire in an attempt to smother it. Maria glared, sending out more of her crimson heat to battle against his unruly plants. This lasted for several minutes, plants and flame darting back and forth across the wide expanse of the lounge before they eventually stood, staring at each other over the smoking remnants of Marluxia’s favored flowers.

Rage bubbled inside Number XII. The anger scorching his insides much like the fire he saw within the girl across from. Elements would do him no good. He needed to end this. Now.

He slid his left foot forward, taking his scythe once again in both hands as he crouched down, eyes narrowing as the assassin in him came alive. He dashed forward, much faster than before, catching Maria off guard and causing her to rush back to avoid his blade. She dashed to the side quickly, her foot catching on the ash left from his ruined flowers, causing her to slip and fall to the floor, sliding until she collided roughly with the wall. Her momentary lapse gave Marluxia the opening he needed to strike down at her, his scythe narrowly slashing into the skin of her thigh as she rolled out of the way; avoiding what would most likely have been a lethal strike.

 _Think, damn it!_ She thought as she jumped back again, sliding along the ash before an idea dawned on her. The ash prevented them from gaining any traction; you could see their movements drawn across the floor in dark patterns. And that was her way in.  _I can’t beat him from a distance, but he can’t defend up close._  She looked him over, fixing her pose into a more offensive position, taunting him by twirling her blades before her.

“Come on then, princess. Come at me!” She yelled, watching as Marluxia’s scowl turned into a face of outrage. He snarled, dashing forward as he gripped his weapon in hand, angling the blade for a final strike as he charged her.

But Maria was ready. She rushed at him, waiting until he began to swing his scythe down before dropping to her knees, her momentum propelling her forward across the ash as she brought up her right arm, her long sword held aloft as it caught against Marluxia’s blade. Sparks flew as the metals clashed against each other, her sword sliding along the length of his scythe as she closed the distance between them.

Her sword finally reached the end of his scythe, angling her blade so the end of his scythe slid off, slamming into the ground and cracking the tiles with so much force, marble pieces flying in every direction. But she wasn’t worried about the debris, her focus was keen as she slid up next to him; she tightened her grip on the short sword in her left hand, the blade held reverse style as she quickly lashed out in an arcing punch, allowing the steel of her blade to slice across Marluxia’s hip and down across his left thigh.

The outcry of pain echoed against the walls as Marluxia hissed, yanking on his scythe in an attempt to pull it free from the ground and failing as it caught against the hard stone. Maria brought up her right knee, bracing her foot against the ground and allowing herself to spin on her heel, bringing her right arm out to slash against Marluxia’s unprotected back as she pushed herself to her feet in a long diagonal thrust.

Deep red droplets coated the edge of her blades as she jumped back, chest heaving as she watched the pale haired man falter and fall to one knee, gripping the long handle of his treasured scythe in an attempt to stay on his feet. A hiss of pain sounded between his gritted teeth, his shoulders taut with strain as he glared over his shoulder at her, his bangs covering the fierce glare of his blue eyes. Eyes that spelled of murder much worse than any the assassin had dealt before.

“Fire vs flower, princess. Next time you should think it through.” She snapped, glaring at him as she adjusted her grip on the bronzed swords in her hands. She turned, eyeing the others in the room distrustfully before speaking again.

“Well, anyone else want to try it?” She snarled, knuckles turning white from her intense hold. From the couch that she and Marluxia had leapt over during their fight, a man with intense blue eyes stared at her-inquiring yet cold, and filled with an intelligence that most his age did not have. He set the book he was reading down beside him, the giant beside him eying him most curiously as the young male stood.

He couldn’t have been under eighteen-multiple years younger than Maria herself. As he raised a hand up a book materialized out of thin air, heavy and thick and greatly resembling that of a dictionary. Maria raised an eyebrow at that, watching as he opened the book and turned the pages with the utmost of care, stepping forward towards the man she had just beaten into the ground.

“Don’t even think about continuing a failed battle, number XII. She’s clearly an opponent  _you_ can not defeat.” His words were cold yet indifferent, and he carried an air of pride and authority.

Marluxia simply glared at him, furious at the implication but knowing he did not have the strength to fight much longer. His blood was staining the black of his clothing, dripping onto the floor and creating small puddles. The Graceful Assassin decided to remain silent, scowling as he turned his away to glare at nothing.

“Zexion,” The giant man from the couch spoke. The deepness of his voice startled Maria, but she remained poised and ready for battle. “Are you sure about this?”

“Do you doubt my abilities?” He asked, a small smirk spreading across his face. “I’ve seen more than enough. Come, Keeper. I wish to see how strong the darkness you hold  _truly_ is…”

Maria narrowed her eyes, spinning the blades in her hands before gripping tightly to them, both blades now held in reverse style as she got into her stance, much different than the stance she had used against Marluxia. She held both arms out before her to where one wrist hovered over the other, her blades sloping back along the length of her arms as she brought her left leg forward, prepared for whatever her new opponent might throw at her.

“Try it.” She challenged, her voice as cold as the steel held aloft in her hands.

Zexion merely hummed his response, raising out his arm with book in hand. The black leather book floated from his grip and into the air as the pages flipped through themselves restlessly.

“Let’s begin.” He retorted before whipping his hand out in front of him, pages flying forth as an intense light flooded the room, momentarily blinding Maria with its brightness. She tensed, closing her eyes to the harsh white. She flexed her arms, pulling from within herself as she sought the deepest crevices of her heart. Feeling the darkness she had grown to know so well seeping from her bones. She felt it resonate within her, her muscles pulsing with its power as she felt it call out.

 _Like calls to like_ , she thought as she let her mind reach out, pulling towards the black shadows of the others in the rooms, their emptiness, their  _darkness_. And that was all she needed, she twisted on her heel, dashing to the side and lashing out quickly. A deep grunt of pain sounded as she felt her blade connect, the light flashing before dying out as she opened her eyes, seeing Zexion grip his side with wide eyes.

“How did you find me in the light?”

“If you’re wanting to fight the bane of Darkness with light, it’s best not to have darkness yourself.” She answered easily, adjusting her stance once again as she brought her left thigh forward, keeping her good leg braced forward in case she needed to lunge quickly.

With a slight nod of approval at her words, the Cloaked Schemer stood up to his full height, his book fluttering around him in lazy circles as he looked her over. Plans and calculations forming in his head as fast as thought before he decided on his next strategy. If light over darkness would not work. Then perhaps illusions of  _his_  realms instead. With a flick of his wrist pages flung forth, flying and slashing around Maria with intense speed. The papers fluttering and unfurling as they slashed against her skin like knives, cutting through the tatters of her sleeves and slicing across her pale skin.

With a curse at the sudden stinging pain the pages caused, she withdrew into herself, creating a smaller target for the pages, before lashing out wildly. Her blades a burning wash of molten metal as she sliced through the pages, the paper catching aflame from the red hot steel. More pages surrounded her as she lashed out, her focus solely on destroying the wicked parchment before her.

And that was all Zexion needed.

For Maria didn’t see the cloaked man sneak up behind. Nor did she see the deep green glow of magic radiate from the Slate haired man until after she was already being sucked into the realm of Zexion’s book.

Parchment and journals flew about her in a ferocious cascade of ink and paper; the harsh slope of leather and the acidic tang of magic heavy in the air. Darkness swirled about in inky tendrils, mixing with the heavy ink residing on the floating pages. She looked around, searching furiously for the Cloaked Schemer but failing to locate his darkness as she had before. After all, the realm itself was not but darkness. How was one to find a single strand amidst a thousand others?

She grit her teeth together, grinding them in agitation before taking a step out towards one end of the plain. And in that one moment, the pages erupted from their leather bindings, soaring together in a single mass as they spiraled towards her like a missile. Green waves of magic flowed off the enchanted paper.

With a jolt, she leapt to the side, landing roughly on her side as the papers crashed into the space she had been but moments before. Torn pages and parchment bursting forth like a wave crashing against the cliffside before flowing together again; raising high into the shadowed air before spiraling back down towards her with devastating fury. She rolled, surging to her feet despite the harsh pain in her leg, running to the edge of the platform in an attempt to put distance between herself and her attacker. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, fear and rage coiling deep in her gut as she thought frantically for a plan. She cried out as she was struck from behind, the pages having wound together and spiraling into her left shoulder like a spear, knocking her off her feet and slamming her into the floor.

Blood pooled down her arm and onto the slate toned floor, the gruesome pages pulling free from her flesh, her blood coating the yellowed paper in a deep and sickening red. Tears stung the backs of her eyes; nausea settling in the pit of her stomach as she forced herself to her knees, one hand braced against the floor with her blade while the other gripped her bleeding shoulder. Black coated the edge of her vision, turning the world into a hazy mass as she saw the shadow of the pages rear back again. She knew they were preparing to lash out again. Knew she wasn’t fast enough to fight the speed of magic as the black crept farther across her sight.

But this black wasn’t the black of unconscious or the black of sleep. It was not the black of fear or pain.

This black was the black of rage. The black of hearts thus lost into their despair long ago. This was the black of  _darkness_. And as the black swallowed over her eyes completely a single thought ran through her head.

_Darkness was hers to control._

Shadows erupted from her skin as fast as lightning, and as sharp and twisted as thorned vines. It spread out across the plain, consuming the pages and herself in it’s deep and never ending abyss. It spread out quick than fire and drowned out all sound. Despair and anguish filling the air, thickening it and weighing down all thought. It pressed down on them, crushing thought and feeling until a spark, a single crimson ember burst into form on the plain.

It flickered, darkening before bursting forth, flooding into the plain and erupting into an inextinguishable flame; covering the realm in heat and fire as it flames deepened in an almost black glow, all of the books perishing to ash before one burst open. Zexion’s form emerging with a deep set wail before he too vanished. The acid green glow of magic flashing brightly, contrasting with the deep set red of the flames before they crashed down on one another, all light and and form vanishing within it’s depths.

-

The other members of the organization watched Zexion’s book float near the edge of the room, seeing his magic swirl around it before it jerked. Inky black tendrils spilling from it’s pages and wrapping round it like a vice. The edges of the pages slowly started to char, smoke billowing from its edges.

Lexaeus narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists as he stood, glaring at the darkness that bound his friend’s treasured weapon. He tensed as the book burst open, watching as flame and shadow and magic shot out from its pages, bathing the whole room in black for a long moment; a deep wail echoing off the walls before the black dissipated. The Silent Hero inhaled sharply as he saw his companion slumping against the far wall, barely able to keep himself aloft as his chest heaved. He turned to see Maria hunched over on the other side of the room, one blade lying at her feet, the other held tightly in her blood coated hand as her breath came out in ragged pants. He felt a growl rumbling deep within his throat as he saw her eyes; eyes of hazel green they had been, yes. But now, those rapt eyes shone brighter, more sadistic against her pale skin; her hazel eyes burned with a golden starburst around her pupils, but it was what lay around those irises that unsettled him. The white of her eyes were no more, now replaced with a deep and endless black.

Maria took a step forward, making to advance on Zexion when Lexaeus stepped forth, cutting off her path before she had even made it.

“Enough.” He growled, his iron voice cutting into the heavy silence. Bringing his hand up, a giant weapon similar to that of an ax materializing. It was almost as large as he was, which was a terrifying seven foot. Bending a knee and getting into a firm, powerful stance that would not be broken easily, his eyes turned stern and cold- an aura of protectiveness surrounding him as he shielded Zexion who was still struggling to recover from behind him. “I will be your final opponent.”

“Lexaeus?” The shorter man from behind him breathed, the slightest hint of surprise shimmering in his azure orbs. The man named Lexaeus did not respond in words, but merely turned his head slightly in his direction and gave a small nod. “...Alright. Go ahead.”

And with that, the giant focused his attention on the beaten Maria once again.

Maria let her gaze roam over the giant before her, the black of her eyes like shimmering obsidian, moving and flowing around her gleaming irises. Her breathing had evened out, her stance loose yet certain despite the heavy signs of fatigue she had shown whilst fighting Marluxia before. The darkness had soothed her, driven away her exhaustion and filled her with an overwhelming sense of calm and certainty. The anger that once sat burning in her gaze was replaced by a deepset resolve. A firm undeniable drive to break down everything within her path.

And that meant Lexaeus.

She moved the toe of her boot underneath her discarded blade before easily kicking it up into the air, catching it in her free hand with a sense of grace that was not shown before in the fiery girl. She flipped her blades until they both rested in their forward positions in her hands. The man before her was a being of power and destruction. Relying solely on speed and close attacks would do her no good. A longer range was needed; and even then, Lexaeus’s size alone gave him an advantage. She needed tact and precision.

She needed the dark.

And so she would use it.

Ash billowed up behind her like dust clouds as she lunged forward; the darkness pulsing in her bones allowing her to propel herself forward with far more speed than she would have had on her own. She rushed Lexaeus, arms crossed over her chest as she charged; she stopped just shy of Lexaeus’s position and lashed out, her blades cutting an X through the air and releasing a wave of power so large it shook the very foundation of the room.

But the Silent Hero was prepared for the force. He was ready for the burst of energy she undoubtedly would release against him just as she had against Zexion.

He gripped his weapon tight when he saw her move, his shoulders drawn taut in anticipation before he brought his axe forward, waiting until the last possible moment before he slammed its tip down into the ground just as she had lashed out with her blades.

The sound of scraping metal filled the air, along with another unfamiliar sound. The sound of screams, of anguished souls howling in pain; a deep set ache resounding against the walls as the metal of her blades ran across that of Number V’s axe. He narrowed his gaze, eyes fixing on the black tendrils running along the length of Maria’s swords like veins.

 _The darkness screams_ , he thought before he adjusted his hold on the handle of the blade, twisting his arm as he broke his axe free of it’s mottled restraints; chunks of marble flying in different directions as he continued to swing his axe skyward in a power arc.

Jumping back to avoid being hit, Maria landed several yards away, balancing on the balls of her feet as she eyed him, taking in the size and force of his black and onyx weapon. She changed her footing, black vein-like markings running around the exposed flesh of her wounds. Bracing, she rushed again, charging at him with intense speed before stopping just a few feet before him and leaping into the air; twisting as she flipped over him, aiming to land a blow to his back.

It was expected, however, as Lexaeus swung his axe round, spinning on his heel as he slashed at the place she would have landed.

Steel met steel again as she pressed her blades down in a hard cross, using her upper body strength to keep her held aloft from atop their crossed weapons. Their eyes met, cold blue against fierce hazel. Fierce, yet lacking their normal vibrancy they held whilst fighting Marluxia and Zexion, Lexaeus noticed. Those deep irises had darkened, the black of her eyes slowly bleeding into the bright color. She was using her darkness, letting it take over her just to beat them, for a chance to be free.

 _It’s not enough_ , instead of swinging up, like he knew she expected, he let his axe drop, causing her blades to slip and her balance to waver. He took her momentary surprise to bring his fist down roughly on her wounded thigh, the force of his hit slamming her down into the ground.

If she was in pain, she only showed it by the clenching of her jaw and the tensing of her spine as she hit the marbled floor. He reared back, launching into another painful thrust of his fist only for it to collide with the ground as Maria rolled out of harm's way.

He let out a soft grunt as he turned, gripping the handle of his axe before bringing it up over his head and crashing towards where Maria had chosen to get to her feet, the blade arcing through the air in a flash of black and red.

A crash as loud as thunder filled the air as his axe connect, but it was not the the ground he hit, nor did it with Maria’s blades. Instead, an arcing mass of black arched above Maria like a spider’s limb, keeping the axe at bay as she stared up at Lexaeus with a cold, unfeeling expression. She sat there, one knee pressed to the ground with the other brought towards her chest; one arm hand at her side, both swords gripped loosely in hand as her free hand hung in the air in front of her as if keeping sun from one’s eyes.

Straining, Lexaeus tried to force his blade down, the axe trembling from pressure and strain on the metal. He let out a low grunt as the Keeper began to stand, the wiry black limb pressing up as she did so, forcing his blade back and causing him to readjust his stance to keep from falling back.

Cocking her head to the side, she watched him, her expression far more void than he would have thought possible. The only color left in her irises was the golden starburst surrounding her pupils, deep shadows adorning her pale cheeks. As she stepped forward, her darkness pressed harder, forcing the titan back as his boots skid across the ground, knocking aside debris in his wake.

From the other side of the room, Saix watched the scene play out. Watched as more of the dark limbs sprag forth, pushing against Number V’s axe and forcing him down to a knee.

The golden eyed male also saw how blood pooled down the girl’s leg, leaving deep crimson footprints behind her as she walked.

It was time. The Lunar Diviner had had enough.

He stepped forward, the other members shifting back as he did so. Lexaeus noticed him before Maria did; the Silent Hero nodding at him in understanding before drawing back and diving out of range of the dark spindles.

Maria made to advance before a large claymore stabbed into the ground in front of her, her gaze shifting to meet the of amber eyes as a rough hand gripped her arm, a voice as stern as stone and cold as iron sounding from an even colder face, “Recall your shadows or fall to them. Now.”

Blinking slowly at him, the keeper gazed about the room, taking in the wounded members and the blue haired man before her. She let her free arm drop to her side, her swords vanishing into embers as she flexed her hands, feeling the strain seething her muscles. She closed her eyes with a deep inhale, letting the shadows dissipate as the black veins left her skin. Tilting her head down, she let out a soft sigh, opening her eyes to gaze up at Saix as the black left them; returning her irises to their normal hazel hue.

Along with her normal sight, the lack of darkness flooding her bones let the fatigue seep back in, making her body ache and muscles scream in pain. If not for the hand gripping her bicep she would have most likely swayed and fallen.

Saix stared down at her, eyes cold and unfeeling, and at the sound of footsteps he raised his head and stared at the newcomes. Emerald eyes wide, Axel stared in shock at the sight that resided within the lounge, his companion beside him squeaking and jumping back with his hands held over his mouth. “The hell happened here!?”

Before Demyx could sneak away from fright, Axel reached a hand out and snatched his arm, the blond letting out a frightened yelp as he yanked back towards the redhead. “I-I don’t wanna die!”

“Aw, shut it. You’re not gonna die.” Axel scowled, frowning at the blond before focusing his eyes back on Saix. “Hey-answer me. What happened here, Saix? Who’s the chick?”

Maria, though dazed, was still aware enough to that she was being talked about. Feeling a bit of blood in her mouth, an aftereffect from the overuse of the darkness, she spat it out in his direction. Axel just raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by her actions. “Fuck… Fuck you. All of you.” 

The redhead snorted at that, releasing the squirming blond in his grasp and allowing Demyx to run out of the room. “Is that how you greet everyone you first meet?”

“Axel.” Saix said, cutting into their conversation and gaining the redhead’s attention. Axel, bringing a hand up and placing it on his hip, stared at him with bored eyes. “Fix her.” Multiple eyes looked at Saix incredulously, but he paid them no heed. With that he pulled Maria back, knocking her off balance, and she could only curse as she was sent fumbling forwards in Axel’s direction. Legs giving out from beneath her she cried out as she hit the ground, pain flaring through her injured body. Her muscles aching to the point she could barely move.

Axel looked down at the woman for a moment, eyebrows raising, before he leaned his back and sighed. “Whatever you say, Saix... so lame. Okay, come on, lady; get up.” He walked forwards, kneeling down, and went to grab her arm and help her stand. Stubborn and furious, Maria just slapped his hand away and glared. His green eyes, though lifeless, flickered with a bit of annoyance. “Don’t be stupid. If we really wanted you dead, there’d be nothing you could do to stop it. Marluxia and Lexaeus aren’t pushovers- if they were serious, you’d be dead.”

“Marlux-? Oh... “ A smirk slowly started to spread across her face, almost unnerving Axel as her hazel eyes flashed dangerously. “You mean  _princess_. I got him pretty-” Her eyes widened, a tremor wracking her body as her heart started to beat out of control before stalling to then pound dangerously slow. She wheezed, gasping as her throat closed up on her. Fear filled her expression and the remaining Organization members could only watch as she struggled, clawing at her chest and at her throat.

She doubled over, her fingers digging into the ground as her body tensed and her eyes opened wide-white tendrils slowly leaking their way into her irises. The light was suffocating- eating away at her existence gradually and becoming only more powerful when she gave in to her darkness. Soon, very soon, if something wasn’t done Maria would die.

And that was when the blond from before ran into the room, a girl multiple years younger than she being dragged along by him. Pastel brown eyes, tinted with the barest hints of green, widened in shock upon the sight of Maria-horror dawning upon her facial features.

…

“Wake up! Wake up! Irene~!” I groaned at the sound of someone shouting, fists slamming loudly against the door. Groggily pushing myself up and removing myself from the covers, I got up and made my way over to the nightstand where I had my glasses resting. “Irene!” I put them on, blinked a few times, and ruffled my hair with a yawn as I walked over and opened the door.

“Hold your horses, jeez… What is it?” I looked up at the tall blond tiredly, praying that it wasn’t already morning. I liked my sleep. I frowned and knit my eyebrows in concern when I saw how panicked Demyx looked. “Wh-What’s wrong?”

“S-Some crazy chick arrived in the castle and beat up some of our strongest members!” He cried out, flailing his arms in the air.

W-Wait, what? Seriously? “W-Wait, I’m confused. Who did who beat up?”

“I don’t know; some crazy chick! She beat up Lexaeus and Marluxia! Zexion doesn’t look like he has any injuries, but… he seemed to have trouble standing... “ He frowned, biting the inside of his cheek nervously. Demyx spoke with his hands, waving them about in the air frantically as he explained. He shook his head, hugging himself as he stammered, “A-Anyway, can I hide out here? I-It’s really scary…”

“B-But they’re hurt, aren’t they!?” Shouldn’t we… I-I dunno, go make sure they’re still alive? Oh god, but what if that crazy chick is  _still_ out there? She might try and hurt us, too. But the castle is really big, so she might not even find us. What to do? Um… god dang it. I don’t know.

I mean,  _yeah_ they’re my “kidnappers” so to speak, but I’ll probably die without them seeing as I haven’t any idea of how to get home. Some of them were actually really nice and Demyx said it was Lexaeus, Marluxia, and Zexion who got hurt… No. No, they’ll be fine. I shouldn’t worry about it; I mean, they got  _magic_. They can make portals appear out of nowhere and Lexaeus is super buff! No one would be able to beat him in a fair fight, right?

I- I shouldn’t… worry.

I heaved a sigh, reluctantly dragging my feet to my dresser so I could get changed. Demyx blinked, looking confused by my actions. “I’m going to get dressed. Then…” This was a bad idea. This was a really, really bad idea. “Then we’ll go back to make sure they’re still alive.”

“Wh-What!? B-But-” He started to protest, staring at me incredulously with big horrified eyes, but I just gave him a look. Demyx closed his mouth, pouted, and shook his head as he brought a hand up to ruffle his hair. “I don’t understand you… Aren’t you scared? Shouldn’t we be  _avoiding_ the danger?”

“Normally.” I muttered, pulling a shirt out and balling the clothes up in my arms before closing the drawer with my foot. Ignoring the fearful racing of my heart I took a deep breath and gave a closed-eye grin. “But what kind of a future-friend would I be if I let my not-yet-friends die? I quite like you and the others living.”

He blinked, startled by my words. Or, at least, pretended to be startled. I’m still trying to grasp how “Nobodies” worked. Making my way to the bathroom I opened the door and closed it, getting dressed quickly and brushing my teeth. Once I was done I went to make my way back to Demyx, but before we left to go wherever the other members were I made sure to grab my  _Hufflepuff_ jacket.

Demyx looked deep in thought the entire way down-something rather odd despite having only known him for such as short time. He seemed like a really childish, outgoing kind of person who didn’t take much of anything seriously. He actually appeared bothered by something. Pulling my jacket on and zipping it up, I stuff my hands in my pockets and followed him.

 _Did I say something wrong or is he really just that scared?_ I felt a little lightheaded as we walked-a feeling of my blood becoming heavy in my veins. Something was trying to suffocate me, a pressure against my heart and something akin to needles stabbing it repeatedly.  _Th-That…_ I flinched, bringing a hand up to my chest and digging my fingers into the cloth of my jacket. This was certainly a new and more intense sensation than before- one I was quite unfamiliar with.  _I-I can’t…_

Black spots started to dance in my vision, but before I could open my mouth to say anything about it we came to a halt just outside the lounge. Opening my eyes, I gazed on in horror at the sight before me. Blood and disaster decorated the lounge, people I didn’t recognize unconscious against the ground and against tipped-over coffee tables, broken vases with flowers littering the ground. Zexion was hunched over against the wall, no visible injuries but breathing heavily, a silently concerned Lexaeus hovering beside him and looking ready to catch him if he fell. Marluxia was slumped on the ground nearby the man with the scar, dark crimson droplets trickling from a massive wound on his hip and creating a puddle on the marble floor.

Lexaeus barely looked battered, but it was clear to see he was at least a little exhausted from something. Then there was the young woman curled up on the ground, gasping and choking on nothing as she squirmed and writhed on the ground. I stepped forward, not entirely sure what I should do or how to help, when the pressure in my body and the weight in my veins became too heavy.

Black colored my vision, an invisible force of pressure knocking me down and wrapping around me, strangling me and gripping my heart in a vice. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I wasn’t able to see anything. All there was in my vision was endless black. To the people seeing this, the veins in my body started to darken, becoming visible black and purple streaks that went and covered my hands, trailing from my chest where my heart was and going all the way up to my eyes.

The woman in front of me, just a few feet away, was in a similar position. Her eyes, though once a vibrant hazel, now shimmered with white streaks. Golden and white lines trailed across her skin, like golden tree branches covered with snow. I could make out the white of the light through the black and, while digging my fingers into my throat as I wheezed, mine and the woman’s gazes locked.

It was as if a thousand bricks just slammed into my chest, the poison in my body burning like acid for the longest of moments before suddenly  _pulling_ itself out of my body. White exploded from the the young woman, eyes shining a brilliant gold before flickering with black as the room became filled with color. The lounge flickered white and black, blinding all those watching and making them avert their eyes.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to describe what happened next; one moment the pain increased to such a degree I thought I was going to faint, then it vanished all at once and  _relief_ washed over me. My vision colored white and gold, and my heart felt… whole. I was dizzy, lightheaded from the experience, and as the room stopped flashing me and the woman just stared at each other, both of us gasping and breathing heavily in exhaustion and confusion.

Then, without another word, I fell forward and collapsed. She managed to remain awake longer, but by the time Demyx opened his mouth to say something she was already falling onto her side, blood staining her clothes.

…

Saix was silent, having not moved an inch since Demyx and Irene so rudely burst into the lounge. He had been expecting some sort of transaction to occur when she and the Keeper of Darkness locked eyes, but for the clash of the light and darkness to blind everyone and be so hard on their bodies surprised him just a little. Both girls were completely out of it, unconscious on the ground. Saix looked at Axel, who grimaced when he caught his gaze. He reluctantly made his way over to Maria, kneeling down and picking her up.

Demyx was having a massive panic attack in the background, kneeling beside his new friend and looking around frantically as he looked for help. His eyes landed on Zexion, then shifted back to Irene, then back at Zexion. “Z-Zexion, wh-what do we do!? What’s wrong with them; what just happened!? Are they okay; why did they faint like that, oh god! Vexen is unconscious too! H-He’s our doctor, we need him to-to- _Zexion!”_

The blond was about to have a mental break down, falsetto tears welling up in his eyes as he brought his hands up and started to pull his hair, and only snapped out of it when he received a firm smack in the back of the head from Axel. The blond yelped in response, flinching and whining at the sudden sneak attack. “Shut up already.” The redhead ordered, the young woman who attacked everyone held up and pressed against his side with one arm. “Grab the girl. We don’t have all day.”

“B-But-” He stammered, looking at Axel, then down at Irene, and at Zexion who was finally able to stand without support from the wall. He looked at Irene, then Zexion, then Irene, then back at Axel, and shut his mouth and picked the younger girl up without complaint.  _Why do they always pick me for this stuff!?_ Demyx was a musician, not a doctor.  _Don’t they ever realize I’m the wrong guy for these things?_


	6. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She’s not my sister!” She snapped, fire raging up around her before Xaldin raised his hand, the wind hitting her with such force it flattened her against the wall; all sense of flame gone again as she gasped for air.
> 
> Lowering his hand, Xaldin’s expression schooled itself into something more stern than upset at her outburst, “The girl did not believe any of this possible before we arrived. And you did not believe we to have existed. It does not matter what one does or does not believe; what matters is what is. And at this moment, what is is the fact that you both have similarities that are too close to ignore.” He stated, his tone not one to be argued with. He watched as she grit her teeth, eyes flickering with flecks of black and red amidst her hazel as she tried to keep her anger under control.

Two days.

It took two days before Maria had found the strength to open her eyes. Two days before the light had finally finished purging itself from her body and for her darkness to heal most of the damage done to her already weakened form.

And she ached.

She groaned as she rolled over onto her side, her muscles screaming as she forced herself up onto her elbow; attempting to at least prop herself up to gaze about the room she was in. Maria had expected a cell, a dark bleak room of cold stone and little light. This, however, was not what she had expect at all.

The room was bright, impossibly bright. With white walls and soft grey and silver accents. The window along the back wall was long and wide, showing a deep purple sky with a shattered golden moon. She hissed as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, her eyes adjusting to the harsh light of the bedroom. Carefully, she moved her legs over the edge of the bed, her eyes slowly landing on a silver tray laid delicately on the bedside table.

A frown etched it's way onto her face as she stared at it, a simple Roman Numeral embossed on the lid.

“Three…?” She rasped, her voice cracking from lack of use. Furrowing her brows, she hesitantly reached a hand out towards the lid, stopping just before touching the handle. Maria chastised herself for her hesitance, grabbing the lid before yanking it off; her arm screaming its reluctance at the harsh movement. She blinked in confusion at the tray as she let the lid fall against the mattress.

The tray sat filled with food; buttered rolls, toast with jam, and fresh fruit sat on its gleaming surface. Confusion flooded her mind as she stared at it, not sure why it was there but also uncertain if she trusted it enough to eat despite her famished stomach.

With a deep breath, Maria steeled herself, reaching out for one of the cut strawberries before a knock sounded at the door. Tensing, her fingers flexed, attempting to summon her blades but failing as only a few weak tendrils of black slithered across her fingertips.

The door handle turned slowly as the silence etched on, her fingers carefully wrapping around the handle of the tray lid as the white door slid open.

A tall man entered the room, his hair pulled up into a high ponytail of dreadlocks with rough sideburns along his cheeks. A few scratches varying in intensity adorned his cheek and neck. His violet eyes rose to rest on her, his gaze observant and empty.

“You’re awake.” He stated as he finished entering the room, a bundle of dark material rolled up in his arm. Maria eyed him suspiciously as he moved over to the dresser, setting the material down before looking back to her, his gaze focusing on her hold on the lid.

“You won’t be needing that. We are not here to fight you.” He said, his voice smooth with a slight gruff edge to the regal way he spoke. “You should eat.”

“How lon-” Maria winced as her voice cracked, trying to clear her throat and trying to speak again. “How long...was I asleep?”

The man regaled her with a blank expression, watching her for a moment before replying, “Two days.”

She winced. Two days. She had been unconscious for two days surrounded by complete strangers. Strangers who had kidnapped her and attacked her. And then there was that girl… Maria had lost herself in thought for a moment, realizing only too late that the man was speaking to her. Jerking slightly, the lid slipped from her grip and clattered to the floor, making her jump as the man let out a telling sigh.

“As I said,” he began as he stepped forward, picking up the lid and setting it beside the tray on the bedside table before casting his gaze up to her, his deep violet clashing with her light hazel, “we are not here to fight. You are here to be protected.” Standing to his full height, he tucked one hand behind his back in a way of such ease it was almost habit to him. He held his other hand out to her, casually waiting for her to take it, “My name is Xaldin.”

Looking him over carefully, Maria let out a shaky breath before reaching to take his hand, still uncertain, “...Maria.”

“Pleasure.” He said as he shook her hand before releasing it, looking over her healing wounds, “I would suggest eating, and perhaps a bath. You are still recovering after all.”

“Why do you care?” She questioned, tilting her head to the side.

“As I said, we are to protect you. As the Keeper of Darkness you are most vulnerable as you are now.” He stated as he grabbed the bundle of fabric from the dresser and opened a side door, revealing a large bathroom. He set the bundle down on the counter before walking back into the room, “You and the Keeper of Light have been separated for too long. Your wounds are healing, but only just.”

Keeper…? The girl. That’s why she was so bright. She was the light. Of course she was… Maria ran away because of Yen Sid and Mickey’s stupid rambling about not being able to find the light, and she ran right into her. Perfect. Maria clenched her fists with a sigh, staring at her hands with a look of disdain.

“I didn’t want to find her.”

Xaldin titled his head slightly, looking her over with a searching gaze, “You were wanting to avoid finding them?”

“Wouldn’t you?” She asked, glancing up at him, her exhaustion and sorrow showing clearly on her face.

Letting out a sigh, Xaldin stepped towards her, resting a heavy hand on her shoulder, “Bathe. Eat. And then worry about what is to come.” Turning, he stepped towards the door to leave, stopping as he opened it, “I left clothes for you on the counter. Either myself or one of the other members will come to check on you in an hour.” He stated before turning to leave.

Maira thought for a moment before calling out, “Xaldin?”

The tall man stopped just before shutting the door, opening it enough to peer back in at her.

“What...what was the number three for? It’s been bugging me. You said I was only asleep for two days.”

He watched her for a moment before shaking his head, trying to repress a smile, “It is my number. I am Number III of the Organization.”

“Organization… so you all have your numbers etched on cutlery?”

“No... I enjoy cooking in my spare time.” He said before closing the door with a soft click, leaving Maria alone with her thoughts and the idea of being, once again, captive. The only “good” thing was that she was used to having that kind of role, but...

What was she going to do about it now?

…

Everything hurt. There was no exaggerating that; I felt like every muscle in my body was slowly being torn apart as I gradually reached consciousness. I grimaced, a groan escaping as I groggily opened my eyes. I hissed, recoiling at the brightness of the blinding white that greeted me, before trying to open my eyes again.

It took a minute for my eyes to adjust, blinking a few times, and I turned my head when I heard a sound that sounded similar to humming. Rather nice humming, actually, and I was greeted with the greatly contrasting black leather coat and pink hair. Marluxia, seeming much better than what I remembered last seeing him, hummed to himself as he fiddled with a plant that definitely hadn’t been on my nightstand before. It gave a rather nice color to the room.

“Oh!” He gasped, seeing me staring at him in confusion from the corner of his eyes. He turned, looking at me with a smile. “You’re finally awake! Wonderful; I was beginning to think the Keeper of Light was comatose forever. Number Nine has been especially anxious waiting for your awakening. Are you hungry?”

“...What... “ It hurt to speak. My voice sounded hoarse. “What happened?”

“Mmm… I’m afraid I can’t give the best explanation like Number Six or Four, but I can tell you that it was because of your meeting the Keeper of Darkness. Your “other half” so to speak. You had so much darkness in you, that when it was taken out and the light in the woman went back into you… well, it needed a chance to recover and flow properly.” He placed a hand on his hip, explaining calmly.

“H… How long was I-” God, it hurts. I cut myself off, bringing a hand up to my throat, and struggled to sit up. Marluxia watched silently for a moment before helping, a hand on my back. As I struggled to breathe, the pink-haired man made his way over to the dresser, picked up a water bottle, and handed it to me. It took me a moment to open it, and when I finally did I downed at least over half the bottle. I coughed, having drank too fast, and thanked him.

“Don’t worry about it, Irene. You have been asleep for two days after all; even we Nobodies would be dying of thirst.” I looked up at him gratefully, glad that it was him and not that scary blond chick I had woken up to. Wait, what did he say? My eyes widened.

“T-Two days!?” Marluxia nodded at me, moving his attention back to the vase full of flowers. Daisies, hyacinths, carnations… a rather odd combination. Daisies meant “get well” which made sense, but hyacinths…? That’s “sorrow”. Well, in a way I guess it went together. The carnations were white, and the only thing I could think of it meaning without it being too weird was “good luck”. “O-Okay, then… Um. Well. That’s… nice. G-Guess I finally caught up on my sleep, huh?” I gave a nervous laugh. “I, uh, like the flowers. They’re pretty.”

“Aren’t they?” He smiled, almost appearing genuine if not for the dead look in his eyes. “I’m glad someone appreciates their beauty. The filthy Keeper of Darkness completely obliterated my last combination. Can you believe her? Such rudeness and upon a first meeting! Ghastly.” He hmph’d to himself, irritated at the memory.

I suddenly remembered how he looked right before I passed out. “Y-You’re-You’re okay? H-How’s your-” Leg? Hip? Or was it his waist? “-your injury?” Marluxia stopped fiddling with the flowers, turning to look at me with the slightest hint of surprise in his dead eyes. Then a smile flickered onto his face.

“You were worried about me? How sweet. I’m perfectly healed now though; once Vexen regained consciousness I took a few potions from his lab and used them. Nothing a little magic couldn’t fix. You should be more worried about yourself.”

“O-Oh… Okay. Sorry…” I lowered my head, not sure how to respond to that. I blinked when a tray of food was suddenly placed in my lap, Marluxia having pulled the tray off my dresser. On the tray was a bottled water, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a simple roll, and an apple. “...?”

“You’re supposed to eat it,” He told me, looking amused by my confusion. I blinked, eyebrows raising as my eyes widened in realization. I stammered for a long moment, struggling to find a proper reply, before clamping my mouth shut and awkwardly picking up the roll.

“Th-Thank you,” Was all I could say, taking a timid bite of the food. The moment I did so my stomach howled with pain, the roll being gone from my fingers as I had quickly devoured it. Marluxia did say I was out for two days; was it really so surprising I was this hungry? I had to force myself to slow down so I didn’t choke.

“...Well, seeing as you’ve finally awoken, I suppose I’ve got no choice but to bid you farewell for now.” I stiffened when I felt a gloved hand rest on my head, Marluxia smiling down at me with a rather… strange look in his eyes. Despite how uncomfortable I was, I didn’t push his hand away and just took another bite of my sandwich. “I’ve to report your awakening to the Superior. Do take… care of yourself, will you?” He chuckled to himself, almost as if he had an inside joke that only he knew about, and gave my hair a light ruffle before pulling away and stepping out of the room.

I was left in silence by myself, only having the food for company, and not knowing what I should do I just leaned back against the bedframe and sighed. I couldn’t believe I was actually asleep for a solid two days; just what on earth transpired? Marluxia said it had to deal with the “darkness” being ripped out of me and all the light needing a chance to flow normally, but… I don’t know. Maybe I’m just over thinking things again.

If Marluxia is fine, that means everyone else is too… right?

...

Xaldin had said that someone would be by in an hour.

Naturally, that meant that Maria had spent forty-five minutes relaxing under the heat of the shower. Forty-five minutes of heat and steam and the hot water on full blast before Maria had decided to exit the bathroom, clad in tight black jeans that hung low on her hips and a smooth charcoal colored tank top that exposed her pale clavicle. A towel hung around her neck casually as she stepped out of the bath; steam lifting from her head as she moved her hand slowly over her hair, her natural heat drying the previously damp locks.

The room was just as she had left it, save for a few missing rolls she had managed to devour beforehand. Relaxed, refreshed, and with her heat refueled, she felt much more alert. Picking up an apple, she turned it over in her hand before bringing it towards her lips only to still as she heard a soft knock on the door. Extending her left arm sharply as the door opened, Lexaeus’s eyes were met by the long tip of a red blade. Maria’s eyes were the only other thing hotter than the molten blade in her hand.

They stood there for a long moment, perfectly still as they stared each other down, all cold eyes and heated glares.They could hear the time passing by the ticking of the clock, Maria’s jaw clenching as her patience wore thin before a small reflection of light caught her eye.

In Lexaeus’s hand sat a chain link puzzle within his enclosed fist. Curiously, she let her sword vanish to embers before holding out her hand to him.

“That. Can I see it?”

Lexaeus simply blinked at her before offering the small trinket; watching as her eyes lit up at receiving the metal toy. Maria cocked her head to the side as she fiddled with the links, her apple left forgotten and tucked under one arm. After a few moments she finally managed to figure out how to get it apart with a smile before endeavouring to put it back together.

Lexaeus took note of her then, since it was the most still he had been able to see the Keeper of Darkness as of yet. He looked her over, the set of her jaw, the angle of her gaze; the way she held her expressions and stance. He also noticed the spray of freckles that lay across her face and cheekbones, reminding him idly of Irene’s own face; although the younger girl was without the colorful array of freckles, they held the same gaze as they thought, focused and intrigued all at once. The auburn haired girl had a longer face than that of Irene, her face more angled, but their eyes were the same even if the color was not. He wondered what other traits they would have in common as the Keepers of Darkness and Light.

He wasn’t surprised when several moments later,the trinket was in one piece and held back out to the ginger giant.

“Do you have any other puzzles?” She questioned.

Lexaeus simply blinked at her before nodding slowly, “I have several. I was instructed to show you around the castle.”

“Can you show me during the...tour, I guess?” She gripped her apple in her hand again, her free hand stuffed inside the back pocket of her pants, hazel eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“That can be arranged.”

“Good.” She looked him over before hesitantly holding out her hand, “Maria.”

Taking the offering, he shook her hand with a nod of his head, “Lexaeus.”

“Sorry ‘bout kicking your ass. Not so sorry about it being interrupted though. I have a feeling there’s more that you could do.”

His brow twitched slightly at that, his face remaining calloused and void as he looked her over, “And you as well.” Releasing her hand, he turned back to the door, stepping outside and gesturing for her to follow.

“So, what number are you?” She inquired as she moved to follow him, ever curious.

“I am Number V.”

“So you’re lower than Xaldin or higher? He didn’t explain exactly how many of you live here.”

“We are titled in the order we came.”

“That’s not a very cohesive ranking system.”

“For one who was near silent in battle you ask multiple questions.”

She shrugged as she followed him, taking in her surrounding: how many halls they passed, staircases, windows, doors, “I’m a curious person.”

“So it would seem.”

“So, where are we going?”

“To the common area. That is where you had appeared when you had first arrived.”

“There still blood on the floor?” He stayed silent at that, and Maria let out a quiet whistle at his response. “Tough crowd…” she muttered before taking a bite of her apple. Well, if she couldn’t get information by idle chatter, she’d have to find another way.

And that was where the fun would start.

…

I really really did like the flowers. They added so much more color to the room and just a bit more sanity to my unstable mind. My body hurt a little as it moved, as I was forcing myself up off the mattress and attempting to stand, and I grit my teeth in response. It had been so long since I’ve hurt like this; are they sure I didn’t just get run over by a semi-truck instead?

Wait… do they even have semi-trucks on this world? God… everything is so sore. It’s as if I hadn’t moved in decades, my legs threatening to give out before me. I had to use the bland furniture to steady myself, stretching my legs a bit as I stood in place to try and get the blood flow moving properly. It took a few minutes, but everything finally seemed to get back into working order.

Seeing as I slept in for two days, I definitely wasn’t going to be remaining in these nasty clothes with my grimy, oily hair, and I quickly pulled out some clean clothes from the bag Zexion had brought for me the other day. A large green chiffon button up, some jeans that held tight around the hips but flared out near the ankles, and… well, screw it. I’m just going to remain barefoot. I may be their captive, but that doesn’t make me their servant. I don’t have to dress up for anyone here!

I brushed my teeth first before hopping into the shower, taking maybe twenty or so minutes, and stepped out feeling completely refreshed. I stretched loudly, yawning, and quickly got dressed. I didn’t bother spraying my hair again, simply brushing it to the side with my fingers as it was still a little damp, and cleaned my glasses before putting them on.

I coughed a bit, the room burning with steam, and I had to escape back into the bedroom so I didn’t suffocate. Nebulizer- where’s nebulizer? I started hurting ten minutes into the shower, but it wasn’t until I got out that I started to really have trouble breathing. Even if having the “light” returning to me helped with the sickness, going two days without my regular breathing treatments wasn’t too terribly much of a good thing.

That, sadly, took thirty minutes to do, but it took me a good fifteen to even find a plug-in. When I finally did, I hooked the cord and mouthpiece up to the machine, poured in the medicine, and got comfortable on the bed with my laptop. I lacked internet, but as I breathed in I did my usual Paint Tool Sai. Hilariously, halfway done with the medicine there was a loud knock on the door before it opened.

A familiar, slender-built figure stepped in, his sea green eyes gazing around the room before landing on me. I brightened at the sight of my new kinda-friend, grinning. Demyx beamed, though looked utterly confused within seconds of realizing I was currently attached to a tiny white machine. “Irene? What… What are you doing?”

“Bweathing,” I answered, not pulling the mouthpiece away. He blinked at my muffled response, shrugged, and walked over and took a seat beside me on the bed, peering over my shoulder curiously to see what it was I was doing. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw it, looking rather impressed.

“Whoa~! How are you doing all of this?”

“Pwactice.” Demyx watched in awe for a few minutes, but he quickly grew bored and summoned his sitar. I jumped a little when it appeared out of the blue (haha! Because the sitar is blue?) and he started to strum notes, but I eventually relaxed and continued doing my own thing.

That’s how the rest of the time spent using the nebulizer went; Demyx singing and playing his sitar, and I just clicking away and painting digitally. Demyx actually wasn’t too terribly bad of a singer; I actually rather enjoyed it. Once the medicine ran out I saved everything and closed my laptop, unplugging it, and turned off my machine. I looked at Demyx, who was staring at me, and gave an awkward little wave.

“So… what’s up?”

“Marluxia told the Superior you were awake, so Saix gave me orders to guard you.” Demyx responded nonchalantly, shrugging. “I mean, I don’t know why seeing as it’s near impossible for anyone to break into the castle, but if I get to hang out with someone who isn’t going to yell at me twenty-four seven I’m cool with it. You hungry?”

Uh… okay then. I mean, I’m not too terribly hungry, but… Okay, that’s a lie. I’m still starving. Throwing my fists out in front of me, punching the air, I grinned. “Yes~!” Demyx grinned and hopped off the bed, his sitar dissipating into lights, and he walked towards me.

“To the kitchen!”

“Onwards!”

We marched out of the bedroom, making our way into the hallway. After a few minutes of walking I slowed down and let Demyx take the lead, not exactly remembering the way to the kitchen. In my defense, not only was I directionally challenged, but everything looked the same. When we finally reached the kitchen, I was little surprised to see that no one was there. With how many people were in there the other day I was sort of expecting another crowd.

Demyx waved his hand, telling me to get whatever I wanted, and immediately started to rummage through the fridge. I decided to very awkwardly get out another pack of cinnamon poptarts, taking a seat at the table and slowly breaking off pieces to eat. Demyx finally seemed to find something suitable to eat, pulling out a jug of orange juice and a plastic-wrapped plate. Pulling off the wrap it was revealed to be some scrambled eggs. After dumping some shredded cheese on them and putting it in the microwave for a good minute, he moved over and sat down across from me, munching on his food.

Around eight minutes had passed when someone finally entered the kitchen. Unfortunately, instead of Zexion, Lexaeus, or even Marluxia, it was…

“L-Larxene!?” Demyx practically choked on his food, his voice going up a few pitches at the sight of the moody blonde. “Wh-What are you doing here?”

“What does it look like?” She snarled, waltzing into the room and opening the freezer. “I’m getting myself breakfast. Maybe if you actually bothered using that brain of yours you would figure it out! Oh, wait, my bad.” She laughed, closing the freezer and standing, placing a hand on her hip as she glanced at him over her shoulder. A hand rested against her chest. “I’m sorry, I made it sound like you actually had a brain in that thick skull of yours. I forgot it was just as empty as the nonexistent heart in your chest.”

Hurt clearly flashed across his face, pain in his dead eyes, but it vanished just as quick as it came. Demyx turned his head, staring down at his breakfast blankly, before giving a small shrug.

“Aw, did I hurt the poor wittle baby’s feelings?” Larene mocked. I frowned, looking at her and watching the scene take place. She didn’t seem to notice, though I doubted she would even care. If there was anyone who was supposedly “heartless”... it was most definitely her.

“...If anyone’s a baby it’s you. Though I doubt you have any feelings to hurt.” Oh god. Okay, yup, I said it. Oh well. Piercing acid green eyes shot over and glared at me, narrowing in complete and utter hate. Demyx lifted his head up and stared at me in surprise. “While I understand that you guys don’t really “have” hearts or whatever, there’s no reason to be such a jerk. U-Unless you were a jerk before you lost a heart and that’s why you’re such a jerk now, but that’s no excuse to- to… m-make fun of... “

My voice cracked and died down, seeing just how furious she was. She looked ready to tear me to shreds, and after Axel had nearly succeeded in doing so I really didn’t want to risk it. I looked down uncomfortably, tearing off another piece of poptart and chewing anxiously. Demyx was still staring, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion with his lips just slightly parted in surprise.

It was only when I felt the hair’s on the back of my neck and on my arms start to stand up that I risked a glance, but when I did so I knew I was dead. Lightning literally was crackling off of her, coils flickering and wrapping around her fingers, an almost golden glow around her body as the electricity crackled angrily. “You dare to talk back to me? Just because you’re living here because of your stupid light powers doesn’t mean you can LECTURE ME!”

There wasn’t even any time to run. Bright blue and yellow streaks of electricity came flying towards me. Blinded by the brightness the heat scorched my skin, but before I could scream or before it could actually touch me there was a loud shout from the other side of the room.

“Dance, water, dance!”

Jets of water shot out from Demyx’s sitar, something he had summoned as soon as Larxene let out her attack, and went flying straight towards me. Water clones intercepted the blow, exploding upon impact, and as Larxene let out an outraged scream as a stream of water shot out and soaked her I felt a pair of arms around me and suddenly there was darkness. I couldn’t breathe; my throat closed up as the black enveloped me. I would have clawed at my throat, but I was too winded to move. I had been slung over someone’s shoulder without warning, and as the person continued running I found myself growing faint. I-I can’t…

Gods, I’m going to throw up. What even happened? 

 

I wasn’t able to think about it, but before I could pass out we entered a room filled with white and I gasped, air flooding my lungs. I was tossed onto a couch without hesitation, and was left to gasp and cough and claw at the soft leather as I tried to recover myself.

“A-Are you alright? Gods- you didn’t have to do that! Now Larxene will try to kill you! Oh gods, she’s going to kill both of us!” Demyx ruffled his mullet frantically, glancing over his shoulder as if expecting the devil herself to appear at any moment. Letting out a few more coughs I finally managed to regain my bearings and weakly pushed myself up, trying to ignore the intense pounding in my head. “What are we going to do~!? Zexy, help me!”

“...Do not call me that.” A single blue eye glared at him, promising deadly nightmares if Demyx used that name on him again. “And please, do refrain from sending the Keeper of Light through anymore Corridors of Darkness until we can make proper attire for her to wear so she can have resistance against it. She’s so full of a light that a mere Midnight Anklet just isn’t going to cut it.”

“B-But Larxene was going to kill us!” He wailed, “You know how scary she is!”

Clearing my throat and ignoring the pain in my chest, I looked at the two men. Demyx had plopped me on the couch that Zexion was sitting on, causing the bookworm to be rather disgruntled. “What did you even do to irritate her so? You should know better, Number Nine.”

“I-I wasn’t planning on attacking her! It was…” He paused, the odd look flickering onto his face again. Zexion’s frown deepened, his eye narrowing when he saw the expression. “Larxene was making fun of me again and… I wasn’t going to say anything, but… Irene defended me. Then Larxene got mad and tried to roast her, so I-I just… reacted, I guess. It’s our job to keep her safe, right? Because she’s the Keeper of Light?”

Was… Was he trying to justify saving me? Okay then… not too entirely sure how I feel about that. Zexion arched an eyebrow, turning his head to look down at me, and I tensed. He had that look again-like I was an animal ready for experimentation. It was… slightly unnerving. “You… talked back to Larxene? The Savage Nymph? To defend Demyx?” I’m not too entirely sure if he respected me for that or if he thought I was a completely moron. Probably the latter.

“I…” I bit my bottom lip, bringing a hand up and scratching at my neck. “I… I don’t like bullies… Besides, Demyx is nice. If anything, she’s the one without a brain. Can she play music? I don’t think so. Can she sing? D-Doubt it; her voice would- her voice would be like nails on a chalkboard…” Okay, I’ll admit, I feel a little bad about talking behind her back but she was such a jerk! My voice squeaked a little and I flinched, highly uncomfortable at the situation. “I-I mean, I play instruments, but even I’m not that good at it. D-Demyx is really good at the sitar and he could play the music perfectly despite have to sightread! Do you know how hard sightreading is!? It sucks! I mean, I like playing, but I dislike sightreading. It’s really hard, especially since we’re always sightreading the more difficult and advanced songs.”

I nodded, rambling a little, and clapped my hands together to signify the end of my speech. Demyx looked a little dumbfounded, whereas Zexion was just staring at me like I grew a second head.

“Therefore, Demyx is smart and Larxene is not! All there is to it! She’s the one without a brain.”

“...I won’t argue that number Twelve lacks a certain intelligence that would be befitting a member of the organization, nor shall I deny that Nine has a talent for music, but I beg to differ that his intellect is any higher.”

I opened my mouth to argue, though paused as I didn’t really know much else about Demyx. The blond took over, however, and pouted at Zexion who had flipped his book open again. “Aw~ Here I thought you were going to give me a proper compliment. You’ve never given me one before! And here I compliment you all the time...”

“Compliment me on what?” Zexion challenged.

“W-Well… uh…” Demyx faltered, staring at the annoyed Zexion and trying to find something to praise him for. “The… The skilled way you… read through books?” I couldn’t stop the snort that escaped, instinctively reaching up and slapping a hand over my mouth and nose. Demyx looked at me, feigning offense, and Zexion just rolled his eyes.

“You’re pathetic.” 

 

Demyx just stuck his tongue out at him. Finally deciding that he was done kneeling on the marble floor, the blond stood and plopped down on the other side of Zexion, peering over his shoulder curiously. “What’re you reading?”

“...”

“Hello?” When Zexion didn’t answer, the man clearly attempting to pretend the blond didn’t exist, Demyx waved a hand in front of his face. When Zexion leaned away to escape him, Demyx just yanked the book out of his hands. “Uh… Emotions of the Heart? That’s a bit ironic, isn’t it?”

Zexion tore the book away from him without hesitation, cradling it close to chest as he glared darkly. “While Kingdom Hearts is our main goal, there’s always a good chance that there’s another option to regain our hearts. To do that, one must understand the heart and how it works. It takes progress, experiments, and understanding.” Considering I know nothing about this place, that was probably the only thing I could make sense out of.

Demyx just scratched his head, blinking. “Eh… sounds kinda boring. Like, I mean, great! If there’s another way to get our hearts, that’s awesome, but I don’t know if having a heart is all that important really. Isn’t it easier to just feel nothing than to get crushed by your emotions?”

“Perhaps,” The slate haired man responded. “I wouldn’t really know, however. Feel free to ask Number Four; Vexen is certainly old enough to know all about emotions.” Wait, why wouldn’t Zexion know about emotions? He was a “somebody” before, too, right?

“Why would Vexen know and not you?” Who the heck even is Vexen? I think Axel mentioned him once before, but I’m not too sure. Demyx blinked, as if remembering I was there. Thanks, I love to be forgotten! ...Not. Zexion didn’t answer, but looked back down at his book and pulled it away from his chest, opening it and silently starting to read again.

Demyx looked at me. “Well… that’s because Zexion was a little kid when he joined the organization. He doesn’t have many memories to go by. You should have seen him though! I joined while he was still a few years younger than he is, and whenever he had to give a speech his voice would crack and- and Xigbar- pfft- he-he almost fell out of his chair laughing! A-And poor Lexaeus had to help him portal to his throne because he didn’t have good control over them yet. And-”

WHACK!

I yelped and jumped back, nearly falling off the couch in alarm when Zexion suddenly slammed the side of his book into Demyx’s face. The blond shrieked, but was unable to catch himself as he toppled off the side of the armrest and landed on the ground. Next thing we knew there was loud, horrifically familiar laughter and a pair of arms wrapping themselves around me and Zexion from behind the couch.

“Dude! You just got pwn’d by a book! Ha! What a wuss. He may be tiny and cute, but it’s always the quiet ones you got to look out for.” Xigbar was right there, his arms wrapped around mine and Zexion’s shoulders. I went completely still, barely breathing from the contact. Please let go, please let go, please let go- “Aw, and lookie here! Our little Light Keeper is here keeping Six and Nine company! You’re making friends already!” Xigbar grinned at me, but when he turned his head to look in my direction I leaned away as far as I could. “Aw, you’re hurtin’ my feelings, kid!”

Unimpressed and a little disturbed, I retorted, “Somehow I doubt that.” Everyone keeps going on about how they don’t have feelings, so therefore there aren’t even any feelings for me to hurt. “C-Can you let go, please?” I’m pretty sure Zexion is about to go on a book-slapping rampage. There wasn’t much expression change, really, but the irritation was clear in his single narrowed blue eye.

“Yes. Release us. Now.”

Xigbar stared at him, frowning for a long moment, before letting go as if he had touched fire. He held his hands up in the air, a grin across his scarred face. “Fine, fine! Ruin all my fun, spoil sports! Hey, Demyx, how long do you place to sit there curled on the floor?”

“My nose is bleeding! Zexion made my nose bleed!”

The slate-haired man resituated himself on the couch, grimacing when Xigbar climbed over and made himself comfortable between us, and flipped his book open once more. “You shouldn’t have been telling those stories. I don’t gossip about you, do I? I expect you to show me the same respect I show you.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry! Now give me a potion so I can stop this grossness!” Demyx sat up on his knees, a hand over his nose as he tilted his head back. Blood was trailing down and tears stained his eyes. “It’s disgusting and it hurts!”

Zexion sighed, and after a moment of hesitation he reached into his organization cloak and pulled out a small bottle filled with a bright green liquid. That… doesn’t look very trustworthy. I watched in concern as Demyx downed the whole bottle, only to stare in surprise and fascination when his nose stopped bleeding. He wiped away the excess blood with his hand and sniffed, watching as the bottle vanquished into lights.

“Thank you!” Demyx exclaimed, and it was at that moment the door opened. I grinned at the sight of a familiar giant and waved without thinking, grinning excitedly, and the three men stared at me oddly. Lexaeus just nodded to show he saw. The girl, no, woman next to him, however…

My eyes widened. She’s the one Demyx said was attacking everyone! She looks… really familiar, actually. Like I’ve seen her before the day where we both passed out. With hazel almond eyes, a longer face with high cheekbones, and short auburn hair, she kinda… reminded me of mom, actually. Why… Why does she look so much like her?

The woman gazed at me disdainfully, as if the very sight of me ruined her day. “What is this; the lobby?” She pointedly ignored me, turning her gaze onto the ginger giant.

“The common area. Most of the members rest here during free time or after missions. Zexion…” The bookworm looked up upon hearing his name and arched an eyebrow, awaiting Lexaeus to speak more. “He’s known as the “Cloaked Schemer”: Number six. Xigbar, “The Freeshooter”: Number Two. Demyx, “Melodious Nocturne”: Number Nine.”

Zexion merely nodded, Xigbar gave the peace symbol, and Demyx just grinned. Xigbar continued to grin until surprise suddenly took over. He looked at the woman, then at me, then at the woman again, and then at me. “Dude! Check it out!”

“Check what out?” Demyx asked in confusion, looking up at him innocently. Zexion pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out an irritable sigh, and I stared. “What’s wrong?”

“Her face!”

The woman looked ready to skewer him. “What’s wrong with my face, asshole?” Zexion opened his eye, looked at her for a good moment, before he paused. He looked down at me. Feeling his stare, I turned my head and blinked at him. “Hey! Too scared to answer after I kicked your friends’ ass?” The woman snapped, small sparks flickering around her now clenched fists.

“Not at all,” The slate-haired man responded calmly, unimpressed by her angry demeanor. “I was just noting the resemblance you and Irene share.” The woman froze.

“...Irene?” The auburn-haired woman looked as if she had just gotten slapped in the face. I faltered, wondering if I should stand and walk over to see if she was alright, before settling with remaining where I was at as I knew there was nothing I could actually do to help. Her hazel gaze was piercing, burning daggers into me. “Your name is Irene?”

“Y-Yeah…” To say I wasn’t intimidated by her stare would be a lie. Part of me wanted to try and hide behind Zexion, but I knew that if I did so I would probably be on the receiving end of the book smack. “I-Irene Taylor. It’s-It’s nice to meet you!” I did my best smile, grinning at her despite the small twinge of fear buried deep within my heart. This woman had caused Marluxia massive pain…

Though it was only brief, I could still recall the vivid sight of blood pooling around him, dripping down his hip and trickling onto the floor. The flipped table, the broken vase, the unconscious man, and the battered Zexion… Even though I haven’t truly gotten to know her yet, I knew she was someone dangerous and that I didn’t want to get on her bad side.

In fact, everyone here in this place seemed to be dangerous. As long as I went along with whatever their plans were, I had a feeling I would be mostly safe. “O-Oh! Uh, this is Zexion!” I gestured to the man next to me, having already forgotten Lexaeus had introduced them, and then pointed at the dumbfounded blond still sitting on the ground. “That’s Demyx! So far, he’s my favorite. He’s really nice! Oh, and Lexaeus is really cool, too!” The man next to her blinked at my words, but said nothing. The fact that she already probably knew the giant’s name completely slipped my mind. “Xigbar scares me though.”

Demyx snorted loudly at that, bringing his hands up to cover his mouth, whereas a barely noticeable smirk twitched at the corners of Zexion’s lips. Xigbar looked personally offended, though he sort of deserved it for being a creep. “Hey, the hell’s that s’posed to mean!?”

“Exactly what it sounded like,” I told him, staring blankly at him. While a little terrified, I knew he wasn’t allowed to kill me. Not yet, at least. “You scare me. The only nice ones are Demyx, Lexaeus, and Zexion.” I started to count off with my fingers, making sure it was the right amount of people. I continued, “You and Larxene are terrifying, Axel is rocky because while he did try to slice me in half he isn’t all that bad once you talk to him, I don’t know anything about Vexen, Luxord, or Xaldin, and apparently Saix will go berserk if you say the wrong thing so I guess even though I haven’t seen him angry yet he scares me too. I don’t trust the Superior, either.”

“You realize it’s dangerous to trust any of us, right?” Demyx asked, knitting his eyebrows together. Zexion flipped another page of his book. I looked at Demyx, confused.

“Who said I trusted any of you? I said I thought you were nice, not that I trusted you.”

“Well,” Zexion began, calm as ever and making me just a little bit irritated that he wasn’t looking at me as he talked, instead choosing to flip through the pages in his book again. “It’s certainly relieving that you aren’t as naive as I previously believed. Perhaps there’s hope for you yet, Keeper.”

“My name’s Irene.” I frowned, biting my bottom lip, and sunk down in the couch slightly as I crossed my arms. “Don’t call me “Keeper”.” Demyx finally stood, taking a seat next to me and squishing me between him and Xigbar, who was crushed between me and Zexion, and I found myself leaning closer to Demyx than Xigbar because of how he creeped me out. “It’s your fault I’m even here...”

“Why did you leave out Marluxia?” Demyx asked, looking down at me curiously. Zexion turned his head, sniffing the air, before looking back down at his book and reading something. Though he didn’t mention anything about it, he leaned away as far as he could to escape Xigbar as well. Then, after a few short moments, he spoke.

“You did leave out Number Eleven. Where does he reside on your list?”

I threw my hands up in the air exasperatedly, “Okay, rephrase; Demyx, Zexion, Lexaeus, and Marluxia are the only nice ones so far! Ya’ll are shady, but that’s to be expected seeing as you’re all a bunch of kidnappers, and the only consolation there is that you’re all different varying degrees of shady. Demyx is officially the least shady.”

“Hey! I can be very shady if I wanted to!” The blond protested, feigning offense towards my words. “I can be the shadiest kidnapper!” Xigbar rolled his one visible eye and I attempted to worm myself out from between them, sliding off the couch and landing on the floor and sitting there. “...What are you doing?”

“Not getting crushed.” I told him. Xigbar, who was getting rather annoyed by all this, raised his hands in the air and exclaimed,

“Okay! As cute as this whole little conversation is, can we get back to the matter at hand?” He pointed at the woman standing beside Lexaeus, frustration clear in her eyes. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t recall any of the history books mentioning how the Keepers of Light and Darkness looked alike.”

Zexion pulled away from his book, a frown adorning his face. “In fact, most of the reports Vexen and I had read claimed that they all varied greatly in appearance. There were never any physical resemblances between them.” Wait, are they being serious? This woman and I don’t look that alike at all! ...Do we? “Curious… what makes you two so special that you share similar attributes?”

“We look nothing alike!” The woman growled. “You all are insane!” The room started to heat up a little, her fingers flickering with the tiniest sparks of flames. Lexaeus’ shoulders tensed, the giant looking ready to restrain her if she tried anything. “Have you even bothered looking at us? She has olive skinned chipmunk cheeks; I have pale high European cheekbones! My hair is auburn and her's is so dark it's almost black! She’s short and I’m tall! You all need to take a second to actually look, because-”

“Eyes.” Lexaeus finally spoke. The woman stopped talking and the room went silent, all looking at Lexaeus. His cold eyes turned to look down at her. “Your eyes… your expressions… they are the same.” Our expressions are the same…

Both of us were confused, maybe even a little irritated. The only thing I could consider us looking alike would be the noses; we both had that little bump in the middle. She was tall and slender, face decorated with angular features and freckles, and was very pretty. Compared to me, however… well, I couldn’t see much resemblance at all. “How can they be the same when we’ve never even met before?” I muttered, bringing my knees up to my chest on the ground. I was getting tired of the conversation very quickly.

I was tired and still really hungry, and while not everyone was mean it didn’t mean I wanted to remain here. I wanted to go home. I wanted to see my family, my friends. I don’t want to be a “Keeper of Light”. I don’t want to be part of something that I have no decent use for. I could feel anger boiling up inside me- anger that didn’t feel like it was entirely mine- and it was taking all I had to not snap.

Unfortunately, people seemed to take notice of the rage simmering quietly inside my gaze. And, out of all those who could have said anything, Xigbar was the one who spoke. “Is somethin’ the matter, kid? You looked ready to pop a blood vessel.”

“She’s not a look alike,” I growled, all traces of humor gone as my expression was replaced with that of seriousness. “We’ve never even met until now; if there have never been any similarities between Keepers before, why would there be now? Your expressions can change based on those who hang out with you- bits of personality and speech can rub off on a person depending on how long you spend time with a person- but we’ve never met.”

My voice cracked a little as I spoke, the room in total silence as I paused, and I took a shaky breath as I struggled to not stutter and to keep my voice as clear as I could.

“How… H-How can we look so much alike when haven’t spent any time together until now?”

...Zexion nodded his head at my words, finding the logic in them, and Lexaeus stared intently at the woman as he observed her reactions. She was frozen, stunned, but still rather livid by the situation at hand. Xigbar looked intrigued by my calm rage while Demyx looked deep in thought. Then, with one arm crossed over his chest and the other being waved in the air as he began to talk, Demyx suggested, “Maybe you two are related?”

If we were related, then…

Zexion sighed. “Don’t be ridiculous, Number Nine. Not in all of history has there been a pair of Keepers that shared blood. Furthermore, I took the liberty of doing some research into Irene’s family when Twelve and I returned to her world and she only has two siblings. Both of whom are busy with their lives.”

“...Not just two.” Was she really…? But that wouldn’t make any sense; life doesn’t work like that. It doesn’t just take people out of your life to fulfill some mystical role that doesn’t make sense, force you to play a part in it, and bring the people back. She was stolen and presumably killed- there was no way she was standing there in front of me now. But she looks so much like mother, I-I’m not sure anymore. With magic being possible, I can’t help but wonder if there’s a possibility she hadn’t died after all. “I… I had another sister.” 

 

My knees were pulled up to my chest at this point, my eyes flickering up to the woman before I had to tear my gaze away. There was a painful tug in my chest, fear of the unknown growing deep inside of me as I recalled all the times that I had wondered what my sister would have been like, how she would have acted and how she would have looked. If we would get along. I dreamed of meeting her, but at the same time I knew it was near impossible. And now… to think that it might be possible was… overwhelming.

“Had?” Xigbar questioned, raising an eyebrow. Something flashed in his amber eye- something sinister and cold, ideas rushing through his mind faster than one could blink. “What do you mean by “had”?”

Zexion looked a little curious as well, though the woman’s eyes had widened by this point, the Keeper of Darkness frozen in place at my next words, the flames around her hands dying out.

“...She went missing around thirteen years ago.” I bit my bottom lip, looking up nervously as I watched the cogs turn in their brains. Lexaeus, silent and calm, stared down at me for the longest time before he spoke, his deep voice echoing around the room.

“What was her name?”

Her name… as if I could ever forget it. I met his gaze, swallowing down the painful lump in the back of my throat, and stated with a shaky voice, “Maria. Her… Her name was Maria.”

The giant turned his head to look at the woman beside him, his expression confirming what everyone was thinking. The woman had turned thirty shades whiter, face the color of a sheet, and was staring at me as if I were a ghost.

At that moment footsteps could be heard, the man named… Xaldin... being escorted by the man with blue hair with the scar on his face as they entered the room. Saix, I believe? Xaldin looked about the room at each of the members, feeling the tension in the air. His eyes locked onto my form on the ground before turning to Maria and Lexaeus in turn, brows furrowed.

“What is going on?” He asked, his tone leaving no room for debate.

The woman inhaled sharply at his questioning gaze, hazel eyes wide, before turning sharply on her heel, storming off in a flaming huff out the way she came as her feet burned scorch marks into the ground.

Xaldin faltered, looking very confused for a moment until his shock bottomed out, and seeing as no one was going after her he shook his head and moved to follow after. “Cease your departure at once! It is not proper to burn holes in the castle floor- Maria? Maria, come back here!” He vanished down the corridor, calling out to her and trying to get a response.

Meanwhile, I was completely frozen by what I just heard.

…

Maria stormed off quickly through the castle corridors, twisting and turning through the way Lexaeus had shown her. Upset, confused, pissed off, and absolutely done with this world and everyone in it.

“Maria, I said to halt!” Called the voice of the Organization’s number III as he chased after the auburn haired girl.

Speeding up, she rounded a corner intending to lose him; her fire had materialized around her hands and forearms in her anger, swirling around her limbs in loose tendrils of barely concealed fury. She made to slip down another hall before a large, incredibly strong hand seized her arm- not bothering to worry about the flames that danced there.

“Cease your fleeing-.”

“Don’t you fucking touch me!” She snapped as she raised her left arm to send a harsh flurry of blackening flames at the other before a gust of wind - so strong it sent her staggering - rushed against her, snuffing out her flames and leaving her breathless and struggling to stand.

Xaldin stared down at her, his face void save for the hint of something almost like sympathy flashing through those supposedly emotionless eyes. Sighing quietly, he loosened his grip on her arm, placing his other hand on her shoulder to help ease her against the wall.

“I am sorry for all of this. This was...unforeseen.”

She glared feebly, angry that her fire was so easily snuffed out, but also painfully aware of how weak she still was after her bout with the other members, “You mean the implication that we’re related?”

“It has never happened before, in all the years of the Keepers.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”

“As it would seem.”

“I don’t believe it.” She stated with a huff, her hands balled into fists as she turned her head to glare at the floor.

“What you believe and what is true are two different things. Your sister did not believe-”

“She’s not my sister!” She snapped, fire raging up around her before Xaldin raised his hand, the wind hitting her with such force it flattened her against the wall; all sense of flame gone again as she gasped for air.

Lowering his hand, Xaldin’s expression schooled itself into something more stern than upset at her outburst, “The girl did not believe any of this possible before we arrived. And you did not believe we to have existed. It does not matter what one does or does not believe; what matters is what is. And at this moment, what is is the fact that you both have similarities that are too close to ignore.” He stated, his tone not one to be argued with. He watched as she grit her teeth, eyes flickering with flecks of black and red amidst her hazel as she tried to keep her anger under control.

Xaldin considered himself lucky in that moment that she was not up to her peak strength like she has been against the others; otherwise, he believed, this conversation would have gone much differently.

“I am sorry. I understand that everything has changed for you yet again, and I doubt it would be any easier the second time around.” He said before leaning down closer to her eyes level, one hand moving to cup her cheek and move her head to look up at him as he continued, “but I will talk to the Superior about this. I will not make presumptions of you; but it is something that must be discussed.”

Maria sighed, her eyes showing a level of defeat that Xaldin has not previously thought her capable of, as she said, “You have to understand...I can’t believe it's her. I just can’t.”

“Then don’t. Wait until I have spoken with the Superior and we can decide what to do from there.”

She stayed silent for a long moment after that, nodding hesitantly before speaking again, “How did you do that? That wind.”

With an almost smile, Xaldin relaxed. “I am known as the Whirlwind Lancer. Wind is my affinity.”

“Right.”

“Why do you ask?” He quarried, intrigued by the sudden change in topic.

“So that next time I’m ready and can kick your ass.”

Xaldin full out grinned at that, his violet eyes flashing with fascination and amusement, “You are more than welcome to try.” She gave him a small smile then, the tension leaving her shoulders a bit as he stood back up to his full height, and easy air falling about them now. “Come, little one. We need get you back to your room.”

“I thought you said you were going to be talking to your Superior? You can’t watch me and talk to him.” She said as he began to lead her down the hall, Xaldin’s hands folded regally behind his back, the male more than ready to use his winds should she manipulate her fire again.

“That is true. Which is why I will not be the one to watch you. Nor will you be secluded to your bedroom.”

“Excuse me?” She remarked, her confusion showing plainly on her features as she stepped up quicker to look up at him, “What do you mean? Doesn’t the whole ‘captor’ thing imply I’m to be stealed away in my cell?”

Frowning, Xaldin looked down at her, his brows furrowed in his own confused expression, “We did not give you a cell. We are not captors, Maria. You were brought here to be kept safe; and as such, the castle is yours to roam. However, for a time, you must be watched. Seeing as how I cannot do so, and as you have already proven to have...disinterest with some of the other members, there are only so few left willing to do so.” He finished as he stopped in front of a door emblazoned with a crisp black “VIII”. Wracking his knuckles across the white surface three times as he continued, “And thus we find your companion for the evening.”

The harsh grumbling could be heard from the other side before the door was opened sharply, making their hair move from the sudden gust as a tall redheaded man glared up at the ebony haired man.

“Xaldin, I swear this better be- Oh. It’s the kid.” He began as he spotted Maria, his hands braced on either side of the door frame as he leaned down to look her over now that she wasn’t bleeding and looking half dead on the floor.

Maria glared, eyes flickering red for the briefest moment as she repressed a growl, “I’m not a kid, asshole.”

“Younger than me.”

“That doesn’t say much.”

“Says enough.”

“Not after I burn your face off.”

“Ooh, think you’re hotter than me?”

“I think that’s a fact.”

He grinned, green eyes bright, and said, “Alright; fight, fight fight. Keeper’s got guts. What’s your name?”

She crossed her arms, glaring, “Maria. You?”

 

“Name’s Axel, got it memorized?” He asked as he pointed to his head with a grin before putting his hands on his hips and leaning down in her face, “The Flurry of Dancing Flames. How about we go a few rounds?”

“Axel.” Xaldin scowled, unamused.

“What? Just trying to keep thing lively.” Axel defended, complaining as he stood up to lean against the doorframe, arms crossed. “So, what’re you here for?”

“I need to speak to the Superior,” Xaldin told him, glowering lightly at the redhead, “Maria is in need of a guard.”

“And?” Countered the fire starter, rolling his eyes at the taller man.

“Basically, he’s saying you’re my babysitter.” Replied Maria coolly, brows raised in a mock expression of disappointment. “But from where I’m standing… it feels like I’ll be the one watching you.”

Axel grinned at her for a moment before her words registered, the male turning to glare down at her. “Hey!” Slamming one hand onto the doorframe, he grabbed the young woman by the front of her shirt with the other, lifting her onto her tip toes. “You wanna try running that by me again?” He growled, voice low and dangerous.

Maria was unphased, but Xaldin stepped forward. “Axel.” He warned again, watching as fire flickered around number VIII’s hands.

“I’m calling you a pretentious ass; now, was that more clear?” Maria snapped, embers flickering to life and dancing around her own clenched fists. Axel stared down at her, only anger and heat hidden within the hazel orbs she possessed.

“...Huh.” He released her, letting her drop down to her feet as he put both his hands on his hips, standing to his full height. “You’re something else, you know that?”

“I’ve been told I make quite an impression,” She shrugged.

“I think Marluxia would agree.”

“That rose bud has no idea.” The two were grinning, smirking at each other as they exchanged banter back-and-forth. Xaldin was confused at the sudden shift in their mood, looking between them before letting out a heavy sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering,

“You two are going to be insufferable together, aren’t you?”

“Possibly,” Maria responded, smiling almost mischievously as she shrugged.

“Definitely.” Axel told him, his words causing Maria to look up at him in surprise before a genuine smile spread, a broad smirk worming onto the redhead’s face. A groan escaped the Whirlwind Lancer’s lips upon hearing that, his shoulders sagging at bit.

“Insufferable…”

“Ah, relax, Xaldin!” Axel exclaimed cheekily, moving over to slap him playfully on the shoulder. “I’ll stay with her; you go see to the Superior already.”

Sending a glare at the offending hand on his person, Xaldin rolled his shoulders to shrug Axel off before turning his attention back to Maria. “Will you be alright?”

“Eh,” The woman muttered, crossing her arms. She said, “What’s the worse that could happen?”

He frowned. “Maria-”

“Go. I’ll be fine.”

“See? Everything’s fine!” Axel interjected, “I’ll be with her the whole time.”

“That is what worries me,” Xaldin all but seethed, shooting a glare at Axel that promised murder. Should anything happen, at least. Waving his hand, he conjured up a portal, turning his attention back to his hazel-eyed companion. “I will find you once I am finished.”

“You’re good.” Maria told him, watching him vanish through the portal. Turning, she noticed Axel waving cheekily at the portal as it vanished, the redhead training his piercing green eyes on her once it was gone.

“So… what should we do now?” He asked, grinning coyly at her. An idea formed in her head, a rather cruel one at that, and she was unable to stop the smirk that twisted her lips upwards.

“Hey, Axel… do you like games?”

Axel blinked in surprised, humming thoughtfully for a moment. “Hm? Yeah, I guess. About as much as Demyx; why?”

“You ever catch a solar flare?”

“How would you?” He asked, and without any warning Maria took off in a speeding flurry of sparks and flames. It enticed a thrilled and curious grin from number VIII, the male accepting the challenge. “Alright, two can burn like that! Got it memorized!?” He shouted down the hall, surging off after her and leaving scorch marks left in their wakes. For a moment, he could hear laughter, but it was gone before he was sure it even really there.


	7. Words of a Gambler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “All in due time,” Xemnas told him, leaning back into his throne and closing his eyes with a quiet exhale. “Let the girl’s attachment grow naturally, then start the preparations. For now, resume assigning guards; though keep it to those she’s grown accustomed to. Have the others guard the Keeper of Darkness- but, if needed, switch to those who can hold her down if she decides to try and rebel. We shan’t be too impatient.”

She’s… alive? How does that work? I can’t... I can’t understand; how was she here? Was it really even her? It could just be an impossible coincidence; they happen every day, though most couldn’t really be trusted, but that’s the only way I would be able to wrap my head around all this. She  _couldn’t_ be alive, here, a… a Keeper of  _Darkness_. I know I pondered the thought, the possibility of it before, but now…

I’m not sure anymore.

I could feel the burning eyes of amber staring intently at me, watching silently.  _Observantly._ Saix remained perched by the door, completely unmoving from where he stopped after entering the room, and didn’t even shift position. His scorching gaze remained locked on my form, scrutinizing me and taking note of my every movement and breath. I knew he was watching, just as I knew Xigbar was laughing from his spot on the couch, Zexion flipping a page in his book and telling him to quiet down.

Even the sounds of footsteps coming near me were all too clear, but I paid them little attention. I had too much trouble focusing on them. The only thing that really stood out to me at the moment was the loud, terrified beating out my own heart.  _Maria’s here…_ The sister I lost so long ago. The one I never got the chance to know.

Or… was she really my sister? If it  _was_ her, and not saying that I’m actually fully convinced that she is, would she even want anything to do with me? Not to mention before all this, she had went and brutally attacked Marluxia, Zexion, Lexaeus, and two others. Demyx had been so scared that he actually ran and tried to hide in my bedroom. What if… What if she tried to hurt me, too?

This woman… if she truly is my sister, she’s not at all what I was expecting. She’s not what I was hoping for. She was far,  _far_ different than any delusions I had conjured in my mind. I didn’t even know if I  _could_ trust this person, nonetheless bring myself to talk to her. I didn’t want to get hurt, I didn’t want to risk anyone else getting more damaged, but….

 _Why did she seem so… sad?_ She looked a bit heartbroken, standing there, fighting against her rage and confusion. Perhaps I had imagined it; I was never the best at reading people, but… I wanted to know. No one bore such a look without a reason. What made her so angry, so…  _violent?_

“Hey, Irene…?” A quiet voice snapped me out of it, though I was still a little dazed and flustered from my shock. Demyx looked down at me in concern, though not much of it could be found in his dead sea-green eyes. Mimicking their emotions, pretending they cared, for without a heart they knew not of feelings except for what resides within their memories. His hand shook my shoulder, causing me to look up at him slowly. Eyes wide and scared, but my eyebrows knitted together to reveal confusion. “Are… Are you okay? You... “

The blond faltered, not sure how to finish his sentence. I stared at him for a long minute, observing his features and looking into his eyes, trying to find the slightest hint of…  _something_ to explain what was going on. Unfortunately, there was none and seeing this I slumped over, lowering my head and gazing at the ground for a moment. I gave a lifeless shrug, uncertain of many things at the moment. All I knew right now was that I  _really_ wanted a hug. “Yeah…” I murmured, only seeming to befuddle the blond more. “I’m fine.”

I couldn’t even figure out how to describe what I was feeling, but I definitely wasn’t “fine”. I was everything but fine, and right now I wasn’t sure how to act, nonetheless react, to the situation. I felt… odd. Empty, yet confused, and a little bit cold. I couldn’t really accept the situation just yet. That  _couldn’t_ be Maria; she would be a little angry, yes, but not so...  _savage._ Right?

Feeling a lump forming in the back of my throat, Xigbar’s dying-down-laughter as he chuckled only making my stomach churn more to the point where I felt I would throw up, I swallowed thickly and struggled to stand, taking a deep breath. “I’m-I’m okay,” I choked, blinking furiously as the tears stung my eyes. Zexion didn’t move an inch, but his eye did trail from the book to stare at me skeptically. A thoughtful look crossed his face, the male shifting to reach a hand up to cover his nose. Demyx didn’t look like he believed me either, and Lexaeus’ frown just deepened. Xigbar just laughed again.

“That’s the spirit, girlie!” He cheered, grinning wickedly at me as he pointed a finger-gun at me. “Ain’t gonna let someone like that crazy lady knock you down, huh? Sisters; pfft! To think  _that_ was a thing that could happen!”

Raising my head up, I gave him the darkest glare I could manage. He actually stopped laughing, pausing in surprise. Having the kind of easy-going personality I had it took a lot to make me angry, but I was  _really_ not in the mood to be insulted right now. I decided not to say anything, simply blinking a few more times, before turning and reaching down to lightly ruffle a startled Demyx’s hair. Then, I walked off- ignoring Saix who summoned a portal and vanished- and passed a stone-faced Lexaeus.

I was done with people for the day. I was tired and hungry, and I wanted to sleep, but more than all that I wanted to get to my room and cry, to panic and freak out before calming down and figuring out how to approach this messed up situation.

...

Xemnas remained perched on his throne, eyes closed as the emptiness of silence surrounded him. He said nothing, thought nothing, and merely waited in silence as he awaited the appearance of his underlings. They surely would have received a message by now; he could even feel them wandering through the corridors of darkness. As the Superior, the founder of the organization, he had given the members’ their names with one specific thought in mind- a very special purpose- a sigil, an X, so that he could know where they were at all times.

And as of this moment, in just a few mere seconds after he opened his eyes, portals of darkness swirled into being one after another, the members taking their places on their rightful thrones. Twelve members, twelve empty vessels… all he needs is another. A most… worthy candidate. Unfortunately, one has yet to come into sight.

A small smirk spread across his face, Xemnas raising a hand slowly in greeting as his deep voice echoed around the round room. “Welcome, all… Have you been enjoying the new  _additions_ to our Organization…?”

Silence. Then, a figure with blue hair spoke. Saix said, “The Keepers of Heart have finally awoken, but there is a complication that must be discussed.”

“Indeed,” Another member spoke, removing himself of his hood, his violet eyes flashing dangerously. Xaldin revealed to Xemnas, “according to the Keeper of Light, the Keeper of Darkness is her older sister. What are we to do with this information, Superior?”

Something dark and cold filled the Superior’s gaze at those words, his lips twitching upwards in a cruel smirk. He leaned down to the side, propping an elbow up on the armrest of the rhone, and held his chin up with the palm of his hand. “Is that so…?” He hummed, intrigued by this new information. Schemes were already forming in his mind, ideas of how to use this information to their advantage. “How…  _fortunate_ for us. Human hearts are so fragile; they can be twisted and torn… broken apart and shattered… but in the end, they become suffocated by their emotions and the guilt that comes with it. With that knowledge in their minds, their unique…  _bond_ as keepers and sisters, they wouldn’t dare leave the other.”

“Forgive me for saying so,” Xaldin cut in, frowning, “but the Keeper of Darkness appears to not want anything to do with the younger girl. She claims that she never wanted to find her. Is this not problematic?”

Another voice spoke, Zexion clearing his throat and speaking loud enough for all to hear. “The girl believed the woman to be dead; she even went so far as to  _correct_ me in my conclusion and said that she had a second sister- one of whom had vanished thirteen years ago. We’ve not been able to find the Keeper of Darkness until now, so perhaps this theory holds true? It’s not  _impossible_ for her to be of relation to the girl; just because it hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it can’t happen now. Perhaps later, when the Keeper of Darkness has calmed down and there’d be no danger of violence, Vexen and I could run a few DNA tests to ascertain these claims?”

“It  _would_ be the fastest and most efficient way to clear up this convoluted mishap.” A nasally voice interrupted, adding in his own opinion. “I’d like to meet these children myself; I’m curious to see what makes their abilities so different from our own. Maybe even run a few of my own tests…” Of course, it would have to be when the Keeper of Darkness  _wasn’t_ keen on throwing him into another coffee table.

“Oh, come on!” A childish voice whined. “Do you really expect to get anyone’s trust when you act so creepy? Besides, they’ve been through a lot; I say we let things cool down a bit before we get too crazy.” The hooded figure waved a hand in the air, acting as nonchalant as he could. “After all, we’re supposed to be friendly, right? Can’t do that if they’re running away in terror all the time; Irene’s pretty freaked out as it is.”

“”Irene” now, is it?” Xigbar grinned, watching in amusement as the hooded figure stiffened and jumped in his throne, scooting back and looking up at him in alarm. “You two  _have_ been getting pretty chummy these past few days.”

“H-Hey, it’s not like that!” He argued, hood falling back enough to reveal an indignant sea-green glare. “She’s just someone I’m supposed to befriend. We’re Nobodies- we can’t even  _have_ real friends, right? It’s all a part of the Superior’s big plans. I’m helping!”

“Leave the boy alone, Xigbar.” Xaldin scowled. “Though, I won’t argue that Five, Six, Nine,  _and_ Eleven happen to be the members the Keeper of Light favors.”

A chuckle and a flick of the wrist, Marluxia’s hood came fluttering down. Rose petals swayed through the air, the man catching one and speaking in his rumbling voice, “Well, I  _have_ been doing my best to curry favor. I can’t say much for the new woman, however- I refuse to get along with  _anyone_ who despises flowers.”

“I don’t understand it!” A woman snapped, all eyes turning to her. Larxene glowered, acid green eyes bright and furious. “We aren’t even going to use the Keeper of Light for anything; all we need is the one of Darkness! Why are we working so hard to be “nice” to the little brat when she’s not even the one we’re after!?”

A very british chuckle made itself known, sky blue eyes shimmering in amusement as a hand pulled out cards from midair. “Isn’t that obvious, Number Twelve? It’s to keep her from siding with the  _enemy_ \- though, I find it quite amusing of the ones she chose to trust. It’s seems the  _odds_ are in her favor- although Six does seem to be a strange choice of companionship. I know  _I’d_ keep better company.”

Zexion rolled his eyes upon hearing that, scooting farther back in his huge throne, and shook his head. “If the Keeper of Light chooses to find Illusions as good company that’s her initiative; I, however, could care less upon what she decides to do.”

“You can’t even care at all!” Xigbar barked, a grin spread across his face. “How can you when you don’t have any hearts!?”

“Oh, be  _quiet_ already, you old coot!” Larxene hissed, ready to tears limbs. Lightning crackled off of her fingers, her nails tapping angrily against the arms of the throne. “You explained  _nothing!_ And until you give me a good reason as to  _why_ I should “behave” myself around that little  _brat_ , when we have no reasons to be nice to her at all, I refuse to act “friendly”! Oh, so she won’t go to the stupid mouse and his wizard, but we could very well just lock her up and refuse her access  _anywhere!_ She’s our prisoner, isn’t she? So shouldn’t we start  _treating_ her like-”

“ _Larxene!_ ” The woman froze at the sharp tone of voice her “companion” used, Marluxia sending her a glare most foul. “The Keeper of Light is one of whom should be treated with respect, for while she is not of use now she can be used to lure the Keeper of Darkness into our hands. Do  _not_ think that I’ve forgotten about your little stunt earlier today; you were even more reckless than usual and could have cost us some serious problems if you had succeeded in harming her. If Nine hadn’t, by some miracle, managed to block your attack and get her out of there in time we would be having some massive problems. It was hard enough finding the current Keeper of Light-how long do you think it would take to find the next one? Perhaps we wouldn’t even find them, for they would already be in the hands of the wizard?”

“I don’t care! She talked  _back_ to me, damn it!” Larxene argued, upset that the only person she could really “trust” was against her decision. Sure, she was a  _little_ out of line but… “It doesn’t matter who you are or how “important” you’re supposed to be to the world, but-”

“ _Don’t. Do it. Again.”_

With a single glare, Larxene went silent. She stared at Marluxia, startled by the way he was acting, before huffing and turning her head away. She slumped in her throne, the woman crossing her arms with an angry mumble, “Fine.  _Whatever._  Play house with that stupid brat…”

Marluxia smiled, although it was anything but genuine. “Back onto the subject matter,” He began, turning to look back at the Superior, and said, “what are we going to do with the Keeper of Darkness? She’s very unwilling, from which we all saw, to cooperate.”

“That’s not true.”

Everybody was surprised upon hearing the iron-strong voice, no one having expected Lexaeus to talk. The bulkiest and tallest member of the Organization looked down at the floor, eyes hard in thought. Zexion turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow curiously. “What do you know, Lexaeus?”

“...She’s not completely disregarding of us. She was uncertain, but after proving myself not a threat she relaxed.”

Xaldin looked up upon hearing that, realization flashing in his eyes. “I agree with that as well. While in my care, she remained quite civil aside from a few scathing remarks. If we play our parts right, we may be able to convince her that we are allies.”

Saix, seeing the way the conversation was going, decided that it was now his queue to interrupt, face and eyes as hard as stone as he looked at the silent Xemnas. “Whilst the Keeper of Darkness wants nothing to do with her, I have reason to believe simply from her behavior around our members that the Keeper of Light  _will_ try to befriend her. Her heart is too…  _pure_ for her to do otherwise.”

“I still think it’s stupid,” Larxene grumbled, legs crossed. “It’s so obvious that he’s showing favor to the Keeper of Darkness; even the food given to her was better prepared. The Keeper of Light’s a brat, but if she has any common sense then she’ll notice soon enough.”

Xaldin turned his gaze sharply onto her, eyes hardening into a glare. “You  _dare_ speak back to the Superior in such a way, Twelve? Do you wish to be a dusk?”

“Shut up! I wasn’t talking to  _you_.” Xemnas sighed at the argument, bringing a hand up and rubbing at his temples. While he was used to it, nothing gave him more of a headache than when his members fought.

“Everyone, please… calm yourselves. Let us talk of this civilly.”

“Still, to think the Keepers of Heart are  _sisters_ \- ha!” Xigbar snorted. All eyes turned to him. “Oh, this is just  _too_ good. Everything’s falling in our favor without us even trying. That stupid mouse won’t have a clue what hit him once we’re done with these ladies.”

“Indeed.” Luxord mused, flipping through the cards in his hands. Closing his eyes, he turned his cards over and shuffled, flicking a finger and peeking at the card that flew out of his hold. A king-otherwise known as number thirteen. “Organization XIII- not much of an Organization without our thirteenth member. I still vote on changing our name; wouldn’t it be more appropriate to call ourselves Organization XII?”

Demyx scrunched his face up at the sound of it and waved his hands in the air. “Ew, gross! No, no, no. That sounds horrible. Organization XIII sounds so much better. Has that ring to it… more ominous. More catchy.”

“Why do we even bother having these meetings when the members are too incompetent to stay on track?” Vexen groaned, eye twitching at the insolence of the other members. “I say we have the more mature members here for these meetings and let the fools reside in their chambers.”

“Seconded.” Zexion muttered. Lexaeus gave no sign of response, though he did lift his gaze up to stare at the man whose throne resided far above his and Vexen’s- a sign of Zexion having completed more missions. “Is the meeting adjourned, Superior?”

“You all are far too impatient,” Marluxia mused, fingers curled and pressed against his cheek. “Really, you need to learn to relax. I would think you would know more about the patience in scheming than anyone else here, Six. Your title  _is_ the Cloaked Schemer, after all.”

A dark stare was all that Marluxia received in that one-sided conversation. However, as they spoke, Marluxia thought of how he could use the Keepers for his own means. There was no befriending the Keeper of Darkness-no, she lost her chance long ago. The Keeper of Light, however… if done correctly he could manipulate the girl into being his perfect little puppet.

She seemed plenty gullible- an easy target and, if he worded things properly, he could keep her all to himself, make her obey only him and eventually, possibly, even use her in his scheme against the Superior.  _I need to be careful not to break her, however…_ He wanted to keep his little source of amusement. As entertaining as Larxene was, she could become quite a handful with that temper of hers.

Xemnas, realizing they were all quickly losing interest, sat up straighter. He waved a hand as he spoke, saying, “While the Keeper of Light does not have much initial use for us, the Keeper of Darkness  _is_ our main target- as number Twelve has so kindly pointed out… However… in order to gain her trust… we need not show too much favor to one, and instead pamper them both, gently pushing them forwards… with the gullible, complacent Keeper of Light guiding the way. Without her naive heart, it would prove much more…  _difficult_ … to convince the Keeper of Darkness that we are allies.”

“But in order to do that, we have to gain  _her_ trust first.” Vexen retorted. “How do you expect us to do that when she seems so keen on sticking close to only a few of our members?”

“I’m curious about that as well.” Xaldin admitted. “I left the Keeper of Darkness under the watch of Axel, but the Keeper of Light appears most uncomfortable around the other members. How are we to use her to lure in Maria when the child is too scared to stray from Nine and Six?” Demyx seemed to shrink in his seat, whereas Zexion sat a little straighter in his throne-his attention caught.

“All in due time,” Xemnas told him, leaning back into his throne and closing his eyes with a quiet exhale. “Let the girl’s attachment grow naturally, then start the preparations. For now, resume assigning guards; though keep it to those she’s grown accustomed to. Have the others guard the Keeper of Darkness- but, if needed, switch to those who can hold her down if she decides to try and rebel. We shan’t be too impatient.”

With a nod and a murmur of understanding around the room, a few members adding in their own opinion, they all started vanishing one-by-one into the corridors of darkness. Xemnas was left all alone in the room once more.

…

Unsurprisingly, I found myself getting lost. After much struggle of wandering around the castle, making myself back to the lounge twice- with everyone having vanished like ghosts- I ended up just dragging my feet exhaustedly through the halls, completely drained of strength. After seriously debating just curling up in a corner by one of the very inviting walls, I ended up arriving at a door that seemed just a  _little_ more familiar than the rest.

Opening it, I was greeted with the sight of the kitchen and a man nearly as tall as Marluxia scowling at a kettle of boiling water. Around six-foot-four, with neatly trimmed blond hair and a goatee, he had multiple studs on both ears. He, just like everyone else in this godforsaken castle, was very pretty. Well, no- Zexion, Marluxia, Axel, and Demyx were all very pretty. Saix, Xemnas, this man, and even Xaldin could be described as handsome. Lexaeus… well, he just looked sort of angry.

Not in the mood to socialize or wanting to deal with people in general, I ignored him and made my way to the cabinet, opening and standing on my tiptoes to try and reach the cinnamon sugar box that was suddenly farther back than usual. There was a small inhale of surprise from behind, most likely coming from the blond man near the water kettle, and a chuckle. Ignoring the feeling of satisfaction I got when I managed to grab the box, I pulled back and slipped out another poptart packet.

“Victory, I see.”

“...Oh! O-Oh, wait, what?” He was talking to me? Crap. I turned, faltering at the sight, and winced when I felt a small pain in the back of my neck. All these people are too darn tall… I’m going to break my neck with how far up I have to look just to see their faces. I fumbled to put the box back, awkwardly holding the poptart packet to my chest. “Uh… hi?”

He chuckled. When he spoke, it was in a very British accent. “Hello. You are… ah, yes. I see. You’re the Keeper of Light, aren’t you?” He crossed his arms, staring down at me with a small grin. “Come for a snack?”

I looked down at the packet I was holding and gave a small awkward shrug, not entirely sure how to react to this situation. “Uh… I-I guess? I mean, apparently. I was just scooped up from school one day and was told “hey, you’re living here now”. A-As for-As for the food, uh… y-yeah. Kinda. I-I think I’ve been here like… five days now? Four?” Something like that.

The man raised an eyebrow, humming thoughtfully. “Is that so? Well, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss.” He stepped forward, giving a small bow. “May we get along well; I’m Luxord, number ten of the Organization. Your name is…?”

“O-Oh, uh… Irene.” This is… surprising. He’s very formal; not to mention very… civil. He’s almost as polite as Zexion- just without the sass. “It’s-It’s nice to meet you, too.” He stood, smiling, and I wondered if it would be alright to open the packet mid-conversation and start eating the poptart. Luxord went silent, lost in thought, and seeing that he wasn’t going to say anything I slowly started to waddle towards the table, half-expecting him to start talking again.

He never did. He went back to messing with the boiling water, clearly waiting for it to finish heating, and I got to tearing off pieces of the snack and chewing quietly.  _It’s so awkward…_ Everything was so silent- and it wasn’t the comfortable silence either. In the silence, I ended up thinking about the anger in Maria’s hazel eyes and how blood had been pooling on the floor-dripping from Marluxia’s hip and thigh. Now that I was wide awake I could remember everything fully.

I still have so much trouble accepting it. What made her so violent?

“Tell me, Irene, have you met the other Keeper yet?”

The sudden voice made me jolt. “Wh-What?” Turning my head, I saw Luxord looking at me. Oh… he was talking to me again. He said something about meeting the other Keeper- Oh! Okay. I get it now. “Uh, briefly. We didn’t really… talk much…”

The smile didn't fade from his face, and his eyes-while empty like many others-had just the slightest tint of life to them. “Oh? Why speak so grim of it?”

“W-Well, I… I’m not, I just-” I wasn’t sure how to explain. I just had the feeling Maria didn’t like me very much. “I mean, I met her twice. Kinda. First time we both sort of collapsed and were asleep for two days-according to Marluxia. Demyx was pounding on my door, yelling at me to wake up so he could hide in the room, and it was like “what” and he said that there was a crazy lady on the loose and that she beat up some of the strongest members. So  _I_ said, “What crazy lady? Who did she beat up” and then he was on a rant and then  _I_ was ranting, and then we started arguing because “What if they’re still alive” and “but she’ll kill us” and I won with “but the castle is super big, so she’ll got lost; we should check up on them” and then we both reluctantly did so. Second meeting was today. It-It was a mess..”

Taking a deep breath after that long tangent, I took another bite without bothering to break it off, chewing and blinking away the tears that were trying to sting my eyes.

“Today?” Luxord echoed, registering everything I had said. He frowned. “What happened with today?”

“She-” I paused, looking down and biting my bottom lip as I thought of what to say. I didn’t really know this man, so I wasn’t sure whether or not how much I was allowed to tell him. But I was also stuck here in this castle and the only people I could be close to considering friends were Demyx and Marluxia. I’ve been bottling a lot of things in since I’ve been here, not having a chance to vent it all out, and without Skylar here I haven’t been able to tell anyone anything.

I didn’t know this guy. Therefore, he can’t judge me… right? I just… I just want to talk. The Organization needs me alive, so they won’t kill me… hopefully. Swallowing down the lump forming in the back of my throat, I blinked away tears and took a deep breath. I can do this. Just… breathe, Irene. You’re fine.

I set the poptart down carefully on the table, making sure the food itself didn’t touch the table and resided on the plastic wrapping. “I… I don’t think she likes me very much,” I murmured, bringing my arms up and crossing them over my chest, tugging on my jacket in an attempt to hug myself. My stomach churned grossly, so many emotions worming around it was dizzying. “E-Everyone… Everyone was going on about how we looked alike, you know? And… And Lexaeus said something about our expressions; how they were the same, even after she pointed out that we didn’t look very alike. A-And… And then Demyx, he… he suggested that…”

“Suggested what?” Luxord encouraged, taking a seat at the table and leaning over slightly. He laced his fingers together in front of him on the table. I tried to speak, but it felt like my voice was stuck in my throat. The idea, the very  _possibility_ , that that woman was my sister… the one I yearned to meet for so long… it hurt. It hurt so  _so_ much.

The blond looked a little surprised when the tears started falling. He watched as I pushed my glasses up, choking and sniffling as I rubbed at my eyes. “I-I can’t believe that’s her! I c-can’t! She’s not… She’s not…” My voice broke. That angry, violent woman  _can’t_ be Maria. I leaned over the table, fingers digging and pulling at my hair as I ground my teeth together, lips curling back as I strangled back a sob. “She’s not  _her_ , sh-she c-can’t be her…” She can’t be my big sister. I turned, looking at Luxord through blurry vision, eyes burning and expression helpless and lost. “She  _died_ … She  _died_ years ago! Sh-She was-She was taken in the middle of the night; Maria is  _dead_. S-So… So why is she here?”

He stared at me for a long moment, completely silent. Something flashed in his eyes, but what it was I wasn’t sure.

“Why is she  _here_  when she didn’t ever exist  _there?_ ”

“...Because the odds are in your favor.” I blinked, taken aback by his words. What was that supposed to mean? Luxord shifted, expression completely serious as he stared down at me. “You’ve survived for thirteen years with darkness poisoning your system, without even the slightest idea of who you were or of your powers. You’re already on the way of befriending a good portion of the Organization, and now the woman you’ve once lost is now back in your life. Lady Luck has blessed you with good things, Irene.”

But… how?

“Maria never died; she was kidnapped, yes, but by the very people we’re trying to protect you from. We are merely lucky that we had gotten to you first and that they weren’t aware of what you were when they snatched the Keeper of Darkness from your hold.” He moved a hand as he spoke, ending his sentence with the clench of a fist. “We were blessed to find you, you were blessed to be so lucky. Perhaps this was fate? The destination that was put in store for you…” Luxord smirked.

Upon the sound of a kettle screeching I jumped, nearly falling out of my chair, whereas Luxord turned his head in surprise.

“Oh, would you look at that? The water’s ready.” He stood, looking at me with a smile. “Tell me, would you care for some cocoa? It gets awfully chilly in this castle; it’s almost always raining outside.” C… Cocoa? Hot chocolate?

I gave a timid nod, for while not being big on sweets the sound of something warm to drink  _was_ very inviting. “Y-Yes, please… Th-Thank you.” I sniffled, rubbing at my eyes again and fighting to stop the tears. I had calmed down a little, Luxord’s words somehow soothing me, and wasn’t crying as hard anymore. I waited patiently as he got out a few mugs, pouring in the chocolate packets and filling the mugs up with the hot water.

“Marshmallows?”

“Uh, s-sure.” Within seconds he had set the mug down in front of me, the drink steaming with heat. “Thank you…”

“Of course! Oh, here’s an idea…” Luxord began as he sat down, grinning. “How would you like to know your fortune? While a gambler, I do have some skill in tarot reading. I do break some rules, however; I despise letting people shuffle my cards.” He flicked his fingers, cards sliding out of the sleeve of his coat, and he waved them all in the air, making gestures and allowing the cards to shuffle themselves. “Much better…”

Luxord snapped his fingers. The cards, which had wrapped itself into a neat little deck, started to slide off one-by-one, stopping only once it reached the number four. The cards set themselves face-down on the table, deck included.

“Flip the first card, Irene.” I stared at it, wondering what might happen. I was a bit awed from the magic show, but because of it I was quite wary of turning over a card that had been previously floating in mid-air. Luxord, seeing my hesitation, chuckled. “Take it from a gambler; nothing can be gained without risks. While waiting has its privileges, it won’t work if you’re always expecting the opportune moment to appear. Go ahead- they won’t bite. They’re just cards.”

Oh, look at that cheeky grin. Jerk. Okay, fine. I… I can do this. Though a little scared, I reached out and flipped the first card over. “The Magician…?”

“You truly are a lucky one,” He mused, smirking. Seeing my confusion, Luxord explained, “the magician is a very good omen; it shows that you can make a better, positive change in your life. All you have to do, Irene, is take the  _risk_. You need to make that gamble, otherwise the rewards will never come to fruition. This card is all about balance; to channel the power inside one’s self, whether it be emotional, physical, or something else entirely.”

“Okay…” That makes a little sense. “So, basically, I  _should_ try and talk to Maria?” He didn’t answer, merely smiling and gesturing for me to flip over another card. I did so.

He looked over the card with interest. “Temperance… you have good relationships with people, but there might be some inner turmoil inside of you. Look for that and decipher what’s causing the stress, for solving that might help strengthen your bonds. Ah, but that’s what you’re already doing.” Luxord gave an approving nod. I flipped over the next card, curious as to what he was going to say next. “And this one is the Tower… You shouldn’t hold onto things too tightly, lest it all fall to pieces. Instead, try relaxing and taking things in as they come and go. Accept what’s given to you.”

Blowing on the hot chocolate and taking a sip, I thought about that last one. I  _have_ been taking things in stride, not focusing on everything at once and just going with the flow. Now, however, with the appearance of “Maria” everything has gone out of loop… I wasn’t sure what to do anymore. Perhaps that’s where both Temperance and the Tower kick in.

“It just… It just gets a bit  _difficult_ sometimes. I’ve been trying to, but it’s… it’s getting harder.” Breath slightly shaky, I had to fight to calm down. My head still hurt from crying and my eyes were still in much pain.

Luxord nodded, a little understanding. “Indeed. Not everyone can cope with such situations.”

After a moment of silence between us, I flipped over the last card. This one seemed to really catch his attention.

“The Reversed Star… Currently staring into the darkness, you need to reach inside yourself and find a reason to hope. You need to recover from the storm and find your sense of calm. Tell me, Irene… do these cards strike you in any form as helpful?”

I thought about it. “I mean… they make sense, if that’s what you’re asking. So… I think so?”

He laughed. “Ponder on them then, and make your gamble. With Lady Luck on your side, you’re surely to be the winner.” With that said, Luxord curled his fingers to his palm, outstretched his arm, and the cards on the table shot towards him, sliding up his sleeve and vanishing into the darkness.

I remained in the kitchen, finishing my poptart and drinking the hot chocolate, and Luxord and I sat there in comfortable silence for the remainder of my stay. After ten minutes I took my leave, waving goodbye as I left. I was determined to find my bedroom, if only for one reason. And that reason was that I  _really_ wanted to sleep.

…

Axel had caught onto Maria’s movement fairly quickly, him having had a deeper understanding of the castle’s hallways. But once she realized that the key wasn’t to try to navigate, but rather to just  _move,_  it became so much easier to lose the fiery red head. Confusing him by not following any particular route, just dashing down the hallways. After that, sending flaming strands of heat down different halls to even more thoroughly confuse him became child’s play and it wasn’t long after that that Maria was left wandering the castle halls alone and without a guard for the first time in days.

Before long, Maria had found herself outside what she assumed was the kitchen if the cupboards and countertop was anything to go by. She walked inside, the warm scent of chocolate heavy in the air as she made her way about the large room. It wasn’t until she heard a soft inhale that she looked over, seeing a tall blond gentleman sitting at one of the counters, the woman recognizing him instantly from Wonderland.

“Afternoon.” He smiled charmingly, his his heavy accent giving him an almost regal flair, “Good to see you’re up.”

Glaring slightly, she crossed her arms, her fists clenched against her arms. “You kidnapped me.”

He chuckled softly at that, waving his hand as if dismissing the thought. “It wasn’t one of my best days.”

“You know that means I hate you, right?”

“Naturally.” He replied as she looked him over.

Seeing him lounging against the kitchen counter with a steaming mug in his hands as opposed to squaring off against him and his flying cards, he seemed so much more...domesticated. She relaxed her shoulders a bit, still slightly skeptical of the older man as she eyed his cup before turning her gaze back onto his startlingly blue eyes. “...Is that hot chocolate?”

“Of course.” He replied easily, turning around to grab a steaming mug off the counter behind him before sliding it across the table to her with a polite smile. It was almost as though he had expected visitors, what with the way the mugs were all lined up and ready to be drank. “Luxord.”

Hesitantly, she stepped forward, taking the offered drink. “...Maria.”

“Pleasure.”

“So, do you normally just lie in wait to hand out hot chocolate?”

“Not usually. However, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I’m glad to see it paid off.” He grinned at her, eyes holding a slight sparkle to them.

She sipped her hot chocolate, brows furrowed as she tried to size him up, not quite understanding his motive, and asked, “What’s your number?”

A laugh escaped his lips at that, smiling broadly. “If you wished to go out to dinner, you need only have asked.”

Her brow twitched, irritation slowly building, “Not your  _phone_  number-your Organization number,” she explained, letting out a deep sigh, “Honestly, I didn’t even think you all had phones.”

“Phones are rather tedious, don’t you think?”

“I think you’re avoiding the question.”

“Now that’s presumptuous.”

“I tend to make it a habit to understand who I’m speaking with.”

“Then understand you shall.” He said as he waved his hand lightly before him, cards unfurling from his sleeve to land on the table in a neat row. “I am Number X. The Gambler of Fate.”

She watched the cards, remembering what happened the last time he brought those out. “Given your likeness for playing cards, it’s not surprising you’re a gambler.”

“Speaking of gambling, you seem like quite the risk taker.”

“Is that a remark on my fighting style or the fact that I fought off almost half of you all?” She questioned, leaning her hip against the counter as she took a long sip of the flavorful beverage, sighing in content as she felt the heat flood through her.

Luxord flicked his wrist, his cards lifting to lay flat in his hands before he began to shuffle through them. “It is based on your life choices. I had overheard that you did not wish to meet the other Keeper. Does that not make you ill?”

Tensing, she cast a sideways glance over her cup at him, eyes narrowing. “Your point?”

“I would think you would not want to be ill. As the Keeper of Darkness, would it not be more beneficial to you to be at your prime?”

“I didn’t want to meet them. Sick or not, my life is my own. I won’t have it dictated and commanded by some Mouse and his keeper.”

“So it is because you are angry?” Questioned the blonde, shuffling through his cards before laying them out for Solitaire. “Or because you do not wish to think of the possibilities?”

“The only possibilities I see are yet another pawn in  _his Majesty’s_ game. I won’t be used.”

Luxord had to fight the urge to smirk at that, gazing out at his cards as he said, “You, specifically, or rather both of you?”

“I don’t give a damn about the other Keeper. My life is mine.”

“Even if it’s your sister who contains the light?”

Maria’s jaw clenched, eyes flashing with tendrils of red as she gripped her cup, small cracks forming along it’s surface from the pressure. “She’s  _not_  my sister.” She seethed, the temperature in the room climbing a few degrees.

Setting down the card in his hand, he gazed up at her, his smile now gone as he looked her over, his piercing blue eyes looking as if they were trying to see into her very being. “Tell me, Maria; do you not wish it to be your sister because you feel you do not have one, or is it because you do not want her to see what you have become?”

Inhaling sharply, Maria stared at him with wide eyes before moving to set down her cup, turning to leave before he spoke again, his voice much more chipper now.

“I do fancy myself a fair game of chess. If you ever feel the need, my room is two halls from Axel’s. Do stop by if you ever wish to chat.”

Green eyes met blue for a brief moment, confusion flashing across her pale face before a loud voice echoed through the kitchen, startling the pair.

“It’s about time I found you! Ditching me for Luxord? Man, oh, man- and I thought we were getting along.” Axel exclaimed as he walked in, draping an arm around the Keeper’s shoulders.

“Axel. Lively as ever, I see.” Luxord commented, face blank.

“Of course! Flames gotta burn, right?”

“How about we don’t touch me?” Maria interrupted as she shrugged Axel’s arm off, taking a step back. She cast a glance back at the Brit, unsure of him before steeling herself. “Nice talking to you.”

“Likewise.” The blonde replied as he watched Maria take off out the door.

Axel sent a glare over at Luxord, acidic green eyes narrowed in annoyance, “What’d you say to her?”

“I only struck up conversation, VIII. Please, do go watch your charge before she wanders off. The Superior would be most displeased.”

Scoffing his displeasure, Axel crossed his arms, “You know, you’re almost as bad as Xigbar sometimes.”

“I’d like to believe I’m more tactful than that.”

“Yeah, right. You’re a right dick, sometimes. Let her have a minute. A lot’s changed.” He snapped as he walked off to follow his fiery new companion.

…

I wasn’t sure how long I wandered, something I was slowly beginning to get used to. I was half-tempted to just scream for Demyx because I was getting  _nowhere_. I honestly don’t understand how people navigate around this stupid castle, because I can’t find any tell-tale markers of what hallway led to what. Twenty minutes, maybe thirty of pointless walking.

I had passed that  _same door_ at  _least_ three times now, I swear. And that staircase to the left- that was there five minutes ago when I walked out of the kitchen! And then… uh… okay, yeah, no. I’m lost. I’m completely and totally lost. I give up. I can’t do this anymore.

Shoulders slumping, I lowered my head and let my bangs fall into my face, sighing.  _So sleepy… I really am going to have to start camping out in the hallways, aren’t I?_ I won’t even be able to-to  _think_ about everything without fear of someone stumbling upon me. I didn’t want to deal with people; I hated it when I cried in front of people for personal reasons. If it was over a book or video game I wouldn’t mind; I would own up to it, but crying in front of someone because I was emotionally distressed over something going on in my own life…

That was something I had an issue with. A-And to have  _her_ here and not even be sure if she was who I wanted to believe she was, I… I can’t…

I can’t believe I let myself cry like that in front of Luxord.  _I’m an idiot- a downright idiot._ I sniffled, bringing a hand up and rubbing at my burning eyes. My glasses were spotted with dried tears, and my chest still hurt-almost as though someone had reached in and started tearing at my heart, digging their claws into the organ and trying to crush and rip it open all at once.  _Freaking- even if she_ _was_ _Maria she probably wouldn’t want anything to do with me. If anything, she would want to harm me like she did the others just so she could escape._

Choking back a sob, I rounded a corner. I barely looked up in time to see a blur of black and pale skin, crashing almost immediately into a woman’s chest and stumbling back, squeaking out an alarmed “H-Hello!” in greeting. “A-Are you okay-” I started, finally catching my balance and looking up to see who I hit, only to freeze as my blood ran cold. My words died on my tongue, voice caught in my throat, and I stared speechless at the woman looking down at me.

She was just as frozen as I was, alarm and panic hidden in her hazel gaze, before a hard expression took over her features. The nausea was getting even worse now, my stomach twisting and churning, and I knew it was only a short amount of time before I threw up what little food I had in my stomach. The woman took a step back, her eyebrows quirking up and her shoulders tensing.

We both just stood there for a moment, neither moving, and I tried even harder to swallow back the tears despite how much it hurt. Her eyes were as wide as could be, but her visage was quickly blurring in my vision. I knew I should say something-  _anything-_ but nothing would come out. There was a tremble and my lips curled back, my teeth grinding together as I slid a step back.

She was here. She was here and closer than ever and just looking at her reminded me so much of Clara and Darian, and I  _can’t-_

Rather flustered and fed up with the situation, a pair of hands grabbed my shoulders and shook me. “Just-Just  _stop!_ Enough of the tears already, damn it. It’s a fucking maze here; you’re going to bump into people! Now man the hell up and-no! No, no, no- stop that! Fuck-  _stop_ that!” The tears had started falling without my consent, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. I couldn’t move; I was paralyzed to the spot. “Quit crying!” I flinched at the raising of her voice, recoiling, and it was at that moment a familiar redhead turned the corner-stopping just before he could crash into either of us.

“Hey! What’s going on here?” Axel demanded, walking into view. Maria pulled away, acting as though I had burned her, her movements stiff. She stared at her hands for a moment, hazel gaze lifting to meet emerald green.

“Nothing,” The woman muttered, “just an accident.”

Axel looked at me, raising an eyebrow, and I gave a short nod. I was shaking. The redhead took a step forward, outstretching almost as if he were thinking of comforting me, only to falter when I recoiled and took a step back. Axel paused, lowering his hand slowly with a confused and almost thoughtful look.

I turned, ready to bolt the heck out of there, but I wasn’t able to get two steps when I crashed into a rather broad chest. “Ah-hello there, Irene.” A familiar voice purred in greeting. I jolted, looking up at the tall man in alarm and surprise. Light blue eyes flickering in amusement, with a pleasant smile tugged on his face, Marluxia kept his hands on my arms to keep me balanced. “Is there something the matter?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words still weren’t working. “N-No… N-No, I-” I swallowed down the lump in my throat, blinking a few more times, and choked out, “I’m fine.”

At that, Marluxia reached forward and ran a single gloved finger across my cheek, wiping at some of the tears. Not being a fan of things coming near my face, my eyes closed in response and I leaned away. It didn’t seem to bother him. Instead, he just continued to say, “Your expression tells me otherwise… Well, I think I understand the problem now.”

Marluxia turned his head, staring down at the two with an expression so cold I actually believed for a few seconds that what everyone was saying was true- about how they lacked hearts. The man put his hand on my shoulder, pulling me closer to him and almost directly behind him, and he scowled at the two across from us. I felt a chill go down my spine, the bad feeling in the pit of my stomach only growing worse. I was starting to grow dizzy.

“You two did something to her, didn’t you?” Marluxia demanded, a frown etched onto his face. Maria rolled her shoulders back, a foot sliding forward with a knee bent as she got into a stance- as if she were about to attack Marluxia again at any given moment. Scared of such a possibility, I reached out and tugged on Marluxia’s sleeve. He hummed curiously, though kept his eyes locked warily on the woman, and asked without looking at me, “What is it?”

Axel looked ready to fight as well, but not quite to the extent that the woman beside him was. “We didn't  _do_ anything, Marluxia. Calm your rose petals already.”

I nodded at Axel’s words, my hold on Marluxia’s sleeve tightening to the point that my knuckles were now white and touching his arm. “It-It wasn't their-their  _fault_ …” My voice cracked when I spoke, having to force the words out. “I-I was a-already- Don't be m-mad at them… P-Please?” Voice small and quiet, I was amazed he could even hear me.

I didn’t want him to get hurt again-heck, I didn’t want there to be another  _fight_ in general. Just the fact that people could get hurt in such a horrific fashion was terrifying; if one wasn’t careful they could set someone off and accidentally get themselves torn to shreds or, worse, killed. I wasn’t very keen on the idea of Marluxia bleeding out again, or Axel and Maria getting hurt. I just… I just wanted things to go peacefully. Is that so bad?

Marluxia stared down at me for a long moment, Axel and Maria both staring in a mixture of confusion and surprise, and the pink-haired Nobody let out a small sigh. Then a hand was on my head, ruffling my hair. Marluxia kept his other hand on his hip, shaking his head, and told me, “I really should start expecting this; you even went so far to stand up for Nine earlier. Foolishness, as Larxene  _would_ have killed you had Demyx not stepped in.”

He pulled his hand away, instead placing it back onto my shoulder and turning me around. I blinked, knitting my eyebrows together in confusion.

“I suppose this is one of the reasons why you were chosen as the Keeper of Light, though I don’t particularly agree with it… Regardless, what’s done is done. Now come; I’ll guide you back to your room. I have a feeling you were lost.” A small smirk on his face, I stammered out a small protest about how I wasn’t lost before giving up when I realized he was right. I started to do as told, following him as he guided me with a hand on my upper back, and I quickly cast a small glance over my shoulder to get one more look at Maria and Axel.

Was she… really  _my_ Maria? My sister Maria? She had to be- the resemblance to Clara and Darian was too uncanny for it to not be so, and if what the others said was true about us wearing the same expressions…

Intense hazel green met timid pastel brown, and for a short moment the world seemed to slow down. It was as if everything was there- all the answers to the questions that had been accumulating in my mind over the years, all the thoughts and wonders that could give even the slightest bit of clarity, and the very strong possibility that  _yes_ -this woman was my sister.

But then we turned the corner, Marluxia guiding me away and the two leaving my sight.

As we walked the halls, nothing but silence and the sound of our own footsteps echoing down the area, a thought came to me. “H-Hey, uh, M-Marluxia…?”

“Yes?”

“What exactly do you guys do? You’re an Organization, right? You guys all claim to lack hearts, that you use your memories of when you had one to act as you do, b-but…  _what_ do you guys do as an Organization?” Demyx said something about how they collected hearts, in hopes of creating some kind of Kingdom… that way they could get hearts themselves. “How can you even lack hearts? Without one your body shouldn’t even work, so wouldn’t it make sense if you already have one? Even with memories, you-”

Marluxia stopped walking, turning and looking down at me without an expression. Completely blank, his empty eyes stared down at me without a hint of life or feeling to them. I felt cold. “When the heart is ripped from the body two things happen. A heartless, a creature born from the darkness in one’s heart, is created. Depending on how strong the darkness determines how strong or large the heartless. Then what’s left is an empty husk- a shell of what was- that exists in neither the realm of darkness nor the realm of light. A being is made then, born in a world in between, called a  _Nobody._ ”

“...And depending on how strong their willpower is, d-determines how human they look?”

He looked a little surprised and a little impressed at the same time. “You know this?”

I rubbed my neck a little sheepishly, feeling sicker and sicker with each passing moment. “Uh, D-Demyx told me a while back…”

“I see… but you still don’t understand one thing. The heart was  _taken_ from the body when it died, creating the Heartless, and so when the Nobody was born it had no such thing. Without that heart we can not feel, we can’t  _be_ happy or sad, experience sorrow or grief. All we can do is hate and long- for all that a Nobody is or does is  _want_. We  _want_ emotions, we  _want_ a heart. A Nobody’s entire existence is nothing more than a want.”

“But…” I only became more confused, my next words startling the man if only slightly. “But _want_  could be considered an emotion, too. It’s a feeling. You can’t  _want_ something without-without…” God, what was that word? It’s on the tip of my tongue. “It’s-It’s a-a  _longing_ , a… Hmm.” I crossed my arms, biting my bottom lip as I thought. “Like, you guys say it’s only memories that you can draw your actions from, but the fact that you guys even want a heart in general has to mean  _something_  is there, right?”

“...Perhaps. But for one to say something of the sort without having ever experienced such a thing herself,” Marluxia began, an eyebrow raised, “it’s rather odd. You’ve been around people your whole life; you’ve never met Nobodies before, nonetheless spoken to them. Maybe in time you’ll understand, but for now I suggest keeping your theories to yourself. I doubt the Superior would be pleased to hear them.”

I flinched, lowering my head, and stammered, “S-Sorry…”

“Don’t worry about it. Now let’s go- we’re almost there.”

Without another word on the subject, I followed. As we walked, I came to the conclusion that the explanation I was looking for had something to do with either melancholy or nostalgia. Perhaps… desire?  _Desire for all that’s lost…_ A heart, emotions, being human; they all desire what they once had.

But isn’t that enough to say that they were already human? Greed is the most natural part of human nature, so how can they say they’re all heartless when they desire something so terribly that they would go out of their way to  _steal_ hearts from people in order to obtain their own? I don’t understand it. I don’t understand a lot of what’s going on here, about the Organization or about the members and how they’re all “Nobodies”, but… despite how dead their eyes looked I just can’t bring myself to believe them heartless.

I knew I was overthinking things again, yet I couldn’t help it. Nothing added up. It wasn’t logical.  _All of this_ wasn’t logical. The magic, the portals, the kidnapping in its entirety- it was ludicrous. But perhaps that was enough proof for what they say to be true, of them truly lacking hearts. I can argue and rationalize and try to figure out why they were wrong, but chances were I would be incorrect at the end.

_I give up… this is making my brain hurt._

The Organization is made up of Nobodies; Nobodies don’t have hearts. Not having a heart means feeling no emotion, and feeling no emotion means they have to rely on their memories of their past lives to act with a personality. And for being so “empty” and having to fake their personalities they’re all still very… unique.

 _I don’t even know why I’m trying; I don’t even know anything about this place._ I really need to just keep my thoughts to myself.

With that, we arrived at my bedroom door.

…

Maria walked down the halls at a brisk pace, Luxord’s words ringing through her head,  _“Do you not wish it to be your sister because you feel you do not have one or is it because you do not want her to see what you have become?”_

“Fucking prick. What does he know?” She seethed, clenching her hands into fists as she grit her teeth, her thoughts tumbling over each other as she warred with her own mind, turning to round the corner only to bump into something soft and squeaking. Tensing, Maria readied herself for an assault before she noticed who exactly it was she had ran into; shaggy brown hair and puffy chocolate eyes squeaking out an apology as Maria felt her blood turn to ice, her body rigged.

She felt her hands twitch as she fought down the panic threatening to overtake her, schooling her features back into their hard indifference as she stared down the Keeper of Light.  _She doesn’t look anything like me, if anything she looks sick._  She thought as she took a step back, brows quirking up slightly as she looked over the younger girl, shoulders tensed as she wondered whether or not the brunette would topple over; her tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes betraying the put-together look she tried to portray.

Maria’s eyes widened as she heard what she knew only too well as a choked back sob, panic flaring in her fiery eyes. Quickly, she reached out and grabbed her shoulders, not knowing how to handle a crying girl, and shook her. “Just- Just  _stop!_  Enough of the tears already, damn it. It’s a fucking maze here; you’re going to bump into people! Now man the hell up and-no!” She started before the tears fell more readily down Irene’s face, her voice rising a bit as she struggled to handle the situation, shoulders drawn taut from how flustered and tense she was. “No, no, no- stop that! Fuck-  _stop_  that!” She ordered, hands gripping her shoulder just the slightest bit harder now. “Quit crying!” She demanded, seeing the brunette recoil from her before she felt a presence pop up behind her from around the corner.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” Came the smooth voice of Axel.

Pulling away quickly, Maria shifted back away from Irene, her movements more stiff and awkward given their encounter. Staring at her hands, Maria furrowed her brows, not understanding what had overcome her to try and comfort Irene, given that she had no idea how to do anything like that. “Nothing,” she muttered, dropping her hands to her side, “just an accident.”

Axel glanced over at Irene, taking in her ragged appearance. Maria didn’t fail to notice how the redhead reached out, almost as if he meant to comfort her, as she saw the almost empty look in his eyes, as if he was at a loss too as to how to care for someone. To  _feel_ for them.

 _I guess we’re alike in that regard._ She thought as she watched him drop his hand at Irene’s obvious displeasure at the gesture. Maria looked over Irene as she turned to leave before her eyes focused on a unfortunate mop of pale pink hair, her mood turning from unpleasant to downright lethal in a matter of seconds.

“Ah-hello there, Irene.” Purred the crimson petaled Assassin, his hands gripping the girl’s arms to help her keep balanced. “Is there something the matter?”

Maria’s glare deepened as she watched him, Irene’s words too broken and soft for her to focus on. The only thing she dared pay attention to was the graceful liar before her; her eyes following his movements as he brushed a lone gloved finger against Irene’s cheek, his expression sickeningly sweet for someone she just knew had bigger plans.

“Your expression tells me otherwise… Well, I think I understand the problem now.” He cooed before icy blue stared down burning hazel, the tension in the air so thick you could cut it with a knife… or scythe.

Fists clenched and jaw set, she grit her teeth as she watched him carefully maneuver Irene behind him. “You two did something to her, didn’t you?” Marluxia demanded.

Rolling her shoulders back as she slid into an offensive stance, Maria positioned herself to attack, all previous panic and turmoil gone from eyes only to be replaced with something much more familiar: rage.

It wasn’t until Irene pulled on Marluxia’s sleeve in panic that the assassin’s expression softened, but despite that he never took his eyes off of the auburn haired woman. “What is it?”

A soft sound escaped Axel’s lips before he spoke, his body language promising murder if Marluxia were to try anything. “We didn’t  _do_  anything, Marluxia. Calm your rose petals already.”

“It-it wasn’t their-their  _fault…_ ” Irene stammered, making something clench painfully in Maria’s chest as she spoke. “I-I was a-already- Don’t be m-mad at them… P-Please?”

The group stared down at the small Keeper, half amazed at her resolve to keep them from fighting and half wondering if she had some kind of death wish. Letting out a small sigh, the floral Nobody ruffled the girl’s hair, a hand poised gracefully on his hip. “I really should start expecting this; you even went so far to stand up for Nine earlier. Foolishness, as Larxene  _would_  have killed you had Demyx not stepped in.”

Maria thought she could hear a deceptive squeak of confusion as Marluxia turned Irene around and began to lead her down the hall. She saw worried brown eyes look over their shoulder at her, the world slowing down for eyes seeking answers to too many questions.

But Maria’s eyes held no answers for her as the two vanished from sight.

A long moment of silence settled around the two fire starters before Axel placed his hands on his hips, letting out a low whistle before turning back to Maria. “You know, I’m starting to think that you have a death wish.”

Maria straightened, arms hanging loosely at her sides as she cast a sideways glance at the redhead, “And what makes you say that?”

“Because. You seem to be pissing off all the wrong people.” He informed as he turned to lean against the wall, arms crossed, “Marluxia might be annoying, but he’s not a fool. He’s isn’t called the Graceful Assassin for show, you know.”

“And I’m supposed to be intimidated?”

“No. You’re supposed to be prepared. Got it memorized?” He asked as he pressed a finger to his temple, leaning forward a bit as he did so before leaning back fully against the wall again. He gestured with his arms as he spoke, his tone serious despite the loose way he moved, “He’s manipulative and devious. If he can find a way to take you out without dusking himself, he will. You’ve already managed to get yourself onto his hit list and you haven’t even been here a week.”

“To be fair, I’ve only been here while conscious for less than twenty-four hours.” She countered as she crossed her arms, the heat in her eyes rivaling the cool complexion of her face as she stared down the Flurry of Dancing Flames.

Axel blanched at her response, blinking before outright laughing as he moved forward, practically draping himself around her as he wrapped one long slender around around her torso, the other poking her cheek playfully. “Then I guess that makes you special, now don’t it?”

Maria tensed as he touched her, batting him away quickly as her cheeks flushed, the young woman flustered at his openness as she glared. “Don’t touch me.”

“Ah, you’re no fun. You’re too tense.”

“And you’re too relaxed. I could still kill you, you know.”  
  


“You can try, but I’m immortal.”

“Nothing lasts forever.”

He grinned, eyes playful and full of mirth, “Yeah, but I’ve got people who remember my name. I’ll live forever in their memory.”

She watched him for a moment, seeing something almost like longing flash in his gaze; longing for an emotion he couldn’t quite remember, but a feeling he knew he should hold somehow. It was almost heartbreaking, and she pitied him for that.

Almost.

“Hey, Axel?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I’d like to go home now.”


	8. "Ice" Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Chilly?" I asked, still befuddled but a very bad idea growing in my head. "Why "chilly'?"
> 
> "My element is ice." He clarified. Vexen's expression was a little bit freaky, one eye significantly wider than the other and giving off the look of a madman. "All members of the Organization have a specific element they use."

I wasn't sure what to say to Marluxia after our little conversation, so I went into the room and awkwardly got to fixing the sheets on my bed. I debated putting pajamas on, but it seemed like far too much work at the moment. Instead, I chose to remain in my day clothes and sighed, looking around the room and seeing if I needed to clean anything.

Picking up the notebook that was on the floor, I opened it and flipped through all the drawings I had inside of it. I could hear footsteps from behind, a small chill of cold air hitting my back, and a familiar hum of curiosity as Marluxia leaned over my shoulder to get a look at what I was doing. "May I see those?"

I faltered at his words, uncertain and hesitant to just hand off my drawings to someone I just met, before reluctantly stepping away and turning around to hand him the notebook. Marluxia grabbed them gingerly, flipping through them with a gentle grace, and spent a good minute looking at each one with a look of interest. I stood there nervously, rubbing my right thumb across the knuckles on my left hand as I waited to hear his judgment.

When it came to drawing I was a bit proud, but it didn't make me any less anxious to hear what people I knew thought of my creations. Marluxia, finally tearing his eyes away from the lined papers, raised an eyebrow at me. "You did all this?" I resisted the urge to bite my bottom lip, forcing myself to look up at him as I nodded my head. "I'm impressed. Not many have a talent for art- for someone so young you must be exceptionally skilled."

Hearing that made it impossible to hide the grin that was forming, a slightly embarrassed yet still proud smile on my lips. I rocked back-and-forth on my heels, taking my notebook from him and holding it against my chest protectively. "Thank you! The art gene sort of runs through my family, but because of that not a lot of people in my family actually do draw."

It was rather saddening really, but there wasn't much I could do about it. I was mainly self-taught, as I only saw my grandmother occasionally and I didn't really have anyone to teach me how to properly draw. I mimicked art styles depending on what fandom I was drawing for, and then I finally managed to come up with my own style. I've been drawing ever since I could remember, sketching nearly every day, and the improvement one makes over the simple course of a year is astonishing.

"Wait… hold on; how can you be "impressed" if you can't feel anything!?" I scrunched my nose up at Marluxia, the male shaking his head at me as I looked at him accusatorily. "So you  _can_ feel things, can't you? I knew it! You  _do_ have a- _whoa!_ " I let out a loud yelp when a hand suddenly latched around my wrist, tugging me forward until I roughly hit a broad chest. I recoiled, immediately uncomfortable with the contact, and I tried to pull away, but Marluxia put a hand on the back of my head to keep me from moving, his other arm wrapped around my back and holding me in place. "Wh-What are you-"

"Be silent and listen. Tell me what you hear."

"What I-" I began, only to falter. I stopped talking, doing as told, and focused on just listening. Other than the sound of our own breathing, there wasn't anything that stood out. I didn't know what he was trying to get me to listen for, but… there's nothing. "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly." He pulled away, hands on my shoulders, and looked down at me without much of an expression. "There's nothing there." There's nothing… there…

 _Oh._ There's no heartbeat. But… how does…

Pushing myself away, I tucked my notebook against my side underneath my arm and reached out, surprising him only slightly by grabbing his arm and pushing up his glove, feeling his wrist for a pulse. He had to have one; you can't just…  _live_ without a heart. It doesn't make any sense. So maybe magic exists here, but that doesn't mean people without hearts can just… stay alive. That defies all logic and biology, and while I'm not very good at science I know enough to know that that's just not  _possible_.

"W-Where is it?" Where's the pulse? I can't find it. "That doesn't make any- give me your other arm!"

Marluxia humored me by doing as told, rolling down his glove and pulling it off his hand, and gave a dry chuckle. "You won't find anything; I told you, we- as Nobodies- lack hearts. In both figurative and literal sense."

"B-But-But  _how!?"_

He eyed me curiously, not saying anything for a long moment, before finally asking, "You don't truly believe us, do you?"

I opened my mouth, ready to respond, before closing it and looking away. All their explanations just made me more confused, more at a loss, because it defied all  _logic_. Everything I knew and grew up, everything I've been told and taught, and then they just prance in with their fancy flame chakrams and their arrow guns, and their magic and portals of darkness and death, a-and their natural pink hair and rose petals, and lighting and water powers-

"Irene?" I jolted, startled by the smooth hand against my cheek, and as his thumb brushed away a tear I realized I had started crying again. I stepped back, wiping at my face with my sleeve, and sniffled. A deep frown etched onto his face, his expression quickly darkening, and as he put the glove back on his hand he asked, "Is this about what happened earlier? Or… is this because you do not wish to be here at the castle?"

Squeezing my eyes shut tightly, I grit my teeth together and just shook my head.  _I don't know. I-I don't…_ Everything is just so messed up right now. "It's-It's nothing," I choked out, forcing the words out as I blinked away the second wave of tears, struggling to regain control, "I-I'm fine. Just tired. S-So-So yeah. I'm gonna… I'm gonna go take my nap now, okay? Th-Thank you for bringing me back to my room."

"...Of course. I'll leave you to it. Just know that I'll be here if you wish to have someone to talk to." With eyes void of emotion, he gave a small smile and stepped back, making his leave and closing the door behind him.

Once he was gone, I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding. My lips curled back, my teeth grinding together as I strangled back a sob, and as I stepped forward to climb onto the bed the tears began to fall. I collapsed onto my side, all the pent-up emotions exploding at once as I thought about everything that's happened, and I hugged the pillow to my chest as I cried.

I seriously don't know how to deal with all this. There was too much happening at once and… none of it made sense. I-I just can't. I don't care what Luxord says; this was just one situation I couldn't cope with or adapt to.

…

"Home? What do you mean,  _home_? I thought Vexen said you were wandering when they found you." Axel had asked as Maria had started to walk away from him. Her eyes held a certain sadness to them; her hazel orbs flashing with a deep set sorrow.

"They did." She stated softly as she continued to wander down the halls, not keen on going anywhere in particular.

"Then what do you mean? What's home to you?"

She stopped then, gaze focusing on the floor in thought before answering, "That's the thing. I don't really know."

"You don't know?" He questioned as he made his way up to her, his brows furrowed as he tried to puzzle out exactly what she meant.

"I was taken from my family when I was small. And even with Yen Sid and that stupid Mouse, it never felt like home." She stated as she tilted her head back to gaze up at the ceiling; seemingly lost to her memories, "I ran off. And from there I wandered. I couldn't go back to where I came from; and even if I wanted to, it's not home anymore."

Axel frowned at that, arms hanging useless at his sides, "So, you're lost."

The Keeper of Darkness hummed, finally turning to look at him. "Can one really be lost if they were never truly found?"

"I suppose not, but you can have a home. Everyone has something."

"Even you?"

Crossing his arms, Axel thought for a long moment before smiling, snapping his fingers as a portal appeared; swirling darkness pulling at them like a Siren's call. "Come with me."

"Excuse me?" Maria demanded,, brows raised skeptically at the redhead.

"Do you trust me?"

"That's kind of a loaded question, isn't it?" She asked, crossing her arms in apprehension.

"Can't say you're wrong about that." He stated with a half laugh before his expression softened, as if trying to be open about his apparent 'feelings', "It'll at least get you out of this castle for a minute. What've you got to lose?"

Maria eyed him for a long moment, raising a brow at him as she watched Axel gesture hopefully towards the portal. With a roll of her eyes, she stepped towards the portal, "If this is a trap, I'll kill you for it."

"Wouldn't dream of it any other way." Responded the redhead as he followed Maria through the portal.

Darkness surrounded them, licking at their arms and clothes as they made their way through the dark corridor. Maria's own darkness affecting the portal in an almost alarming way, causing Axel to step closer as he walked beside her. A light shimmered at the end of the corridor, warm and inviting. As they stepped through, Maria had to bring a hand up to block the sun from her eyes; having become accustomed to the dark that always accompanied the Castle.

After a moment of adjustment, Maria was finally able to take in where they were, staring in awe at the sight before them. The summer sun stood proudly in the sky, shining brightly around them as it neared its setting stage. The town below was bustling with life, people running and playing, shopping, or just enjoying the day. From their place on the Clock Tower ledge, they could make out the edges of a beach, the ocean lapping at its ledge in deep blue waves. It was beautiful, even with its domesticity.

"So, welcome to Twilight Town."

"It's lovely." Maria murmured as she looked around, almost lost as to how to react.

"I generally come here after missions to relax." Axel stated as he sat down on the ledge, patting the space beside him, "Take a load off. Come on."

She cast a glance down at Axel, debating for a moment before sitting down beside the other firestarter.

"I still don't trust you."

"I'm not asking you to. Nobodies, remember? Trust is kinda hard."

"That's true." She said as they watched the bustling street below. They sat like that in comfortable silence as the sun began to set on the horizon, a soft red glow coloring the sky.

"Hey, Axel. Do you know why the sun sets red?"

"I didn't peg you for a fan of sunsets." He replied with a laugh.

She chuckled softly, "Light carries all colors. And out of all the colors, red travels the farthest."

Axel smiled, leaning back on his hands, "You know, you're kinda sentimental sometimes."

"I've heard it's a good way to get someone to let down their guard. Makes it easier to go in for the kill."

Axel laughed, a full hearted laugh; something that seemed so out of place for the apparently emotionless redhead, "Don't you remember? I'm immortal. Got it memorized?"

"You're also an idiot." She muttered with a smile, moving to lean her head against his shoulder as she closed her eyes. Exhaustion finally settling in on her, "But thank you."

Axel stared down at her from the corner of his eyes, green orbs shining with curiosity before letting his gaze travel back out to the sea, leaning his head atop hers, almost as though trying to remember a feeling this should bring.

Maria relaxed against Axel, letting her mind wander as, for the first time in a long while, she felt at ease. For once, Maria felt at home.

...

_I was nine-years-old when it happened. I found out I was pretty gifted with magic when I was around five, but mother was so startled when it had happened that I tried not to use it. We lived in such a wonderful town: water fountains and flower gardens everywhere, with a large castle guarded by few soldiers. We have a benevolent ruler and my mother… she owned a wood shop. She happened to really like making music boxes and I always did my best to help her._

_One day we were tinkering with a new musicbox she was making and I had managed to get it to play music. I remember her smiling. But later that day when we were discussing what to have for dinner a mouse in brown robes came knocking on our door. Being little I didn't understand completely what was going on, but they went to another room to talk and when they came out… mother was crying. It's been so long since I last heard her voice… but I still remember that day._

_She hugged me so tight it hurt. We didn't hear much from the mouse until a few days later when mother told me I was leaving, that I was moving somewhere safe to learn the magic I had been so keen on hiding away. I was willing to do anything to make her happy, so I didn't get why she was making me leave her. I was heartbroken. I loved my mom._

_I didn't want to leave her for some strange looking mouse whom I had just met. Sbe said I had to, that the worlds' depended on me. I wanted nothing to do with the Keepers of Heart or the person I was supposed to protect. I was just a kid._

_But I beared with it, even if I didn't want to, and I did as told. A few days after arriving I entered my heart and learned how to summon a staff- colored gold and bronze with a large diamond atop it. They said it was to help channel my magic and the voices… said it was made based off my heart. It was all very confusing. But I kept going._

_Lessons were rough; the three good fairies continuously pestered me to dress properly, to brush my messy hair, to eat my vegetables…_

_Back then I thought they were a nuisance, never realizing until I was older that they were just scared and wanted me to grow up strong. I liked them, even if they could be a little overbearing at times. Their kindness did little to comfort me though, as I was often plagued by thoughts of home and my mother at night. All I could think about was the last time I saw her, crying and looking at me with the face of despair. I miss her…_

_Her hugs, her cooking, her voice… I can barely even remember her face._

_Yet… in this despair, I found one single solace. R- "_

The name never left his lips, the images before me blurring and fading and becoming like static, voice muffled and broke. The dream was far more detailed than the last, yet was missing all that was necessary to fully understand it. Who was the person he found comfort in? What was  _his_ name?

_She never forced me to do anything. She gave advice, showed me what she could do with her sword. That woman was a force to be reckoned with, and despite being someone who was supposedly made wholly out of darkness… she was most definitely the brightest thing in that lonely tower. A bit rough-around-the-edges, but sweet and caring…_

… _\- reminded me of my mom. When I finally allowed myself to open up to her, speaking more than just a few words at a time, we became surprisingly close. She would always play with me, too, despite being so much older. She'd chase me around the courtyard, wrestle with me, and even made me let her play with my hair. I'm not sure why- she just always had a fondness for it. Mom always played with my hair, too… she said it was always so light and fluffy- she'd joke and ask if we could trade hair for the day._

_But then… instead of having me work on healing magic, like the Keeper of Light is supposed to focus on, the Master decided to try have me do offensive magic instead. And… when I finally managed to cast fire… I ended up hating myself more than anything in the world… for I had caused the one other person I truly cared about so much pain…"_

...

It was easy, the fall. To fall into your mind and all it holds. The descent into dreams is always easy; it's the simplest of dives there is. But the fall into your thoughts, into your heart? Well, that wasn't always so easy. After all, the first few falls were always difficult for Maria; painful and dark. But now, the fall was easy; it was finding yourself. After everything that had happened with that damn Mouse, the fall had managed to become home.

Even if she had refused to go back to  _that_ home, to find herself in her own heart... Yet something called to her, something...oddly familiar. Like a friend you haven't seen in years. Pulling her down away from dreams and into her own heart.

During the fall, Maria could only think,  _It's beautiful_. To see how much her platform had changed since her last decent- to see how her heart had grown. But as she touched down on the crimson ground she couldn't help but notice the one thing that  _shouldn't_  be there. A dirty blonde haired stranger standing and gazing out from the edge of her platform, a type of...emptiness shrouding him. She wasted no time in approaching him.

"Who are you?" Maria demanded as she narrowed her gaze, her platform darkening with her mood upon seeing this unknown figure in her heart.

As he turned to her, his face shadowed by his bangs, he regarded her with a kind of sullenness she had only ever seen a handful of times. The times from when she had overheard the Master and the Mouse talk about the three fallen keyblade wielders...

Turning to gaze over his shoulder, the stranger cocked his head to the side, looking Maria over as he placed his hands in his pockets. There was a silence, and then... "Do I know you?"

"No."

"...Hmm. Weird. I guess you just remind me of someone then…" A flicker of realization in his gaze, his lightly colored eyes bore into her. "Somebody I know, that is…"

"Who?" She demanded, standing tall and bringing a hand up to rest on her hip. Her other hand twitched, held ready in case she needed to someone her weapon, but… this man didn't seem like he was a threat. He was empty- surrounded by nothingness and giving off an aura of oblivion.

The man paused, glancing to the side uncertainly. "I'm… not sure. You just do, that's all. Your eyes have that same determination and ferocity."

Maria's expression hardened when she heard that, lips tilting downward into a frown. "You still haven't answered my first question.  _Who_ are you?"

Head lowering, the man brought his hands up to gaze at his palms. His voice was soft as he murmured solemnly, "I… don't know. I'm not sure of anything, really."

Taking a hesitant step forward, Maria asked, "How can you not know who you are? Just  _what_ are you? Why are you here?"

Eyes flickering out from beneath thick locks of hair, she was able to make out the tiniest glimmer of dulled green eyes from beneath the dirty blond mess as he tilted his head to the side. "Can one really know anything… when they aren't even sure if they're real?"

"I suggest you start explaining." She ordered, sharp nails curling into her fist. The man stared at her for a long moment before sighing, eyes fluttering halfway closed as he stared down at the crimson platform.

"That...may take some time."

"You've managed to force your way onto my platform. I think we've got time." The Keeper of Darkness remarked, crossing her arms over her chest. Focusing her balance onto one leg, she popped a hip out to the side, raising an eyebrow at him inquiringly. "Start explaining;  _now_."

He thought for a moment before looking out over the expanse around them, seemingly lost even to himself. "Perhaps we should start at the beginning then…?"

And that's how it started; the stranger and the lost. They spoke for what felt like hours. That's the funny thing about being in your own heart, time seems to move on its own course… uncaring of how time moves in reality.

They had spoken at length about their pasts, listening to each other's pain. Their memories and their hurt laid bare to the world. Yet during all of this, one thing seemed off. As if the words themselves vanished the moment they went to be spoken; stolen from the very air before the sound could even form.

"You were causing  _who_  pain?" Maria has asked, her hazel eyes curious despite the confusion that sat evident in her gaze.

The stranger stood facing out at the nothingness again, looking out at where the platforms that connected to her heart used to be. At least before Maria had closed off her heart to everyone. He paused for a long moment, as if lost to himself yet again, the male trying to grasp at something that just wasn't quite there. He spoke, pain and confusion mixed together, voice forced and strong as if it was all she needed to hear to understand. "Causing  _her_ pain."

Maria narrowed her eyes at that. "Her or yourself?"

"Myself?" He asked, as if unsure of what that could mean. As if the very meaning of one's self was lost to him, much like his very being was gone. "I've hurt her but...I'm…" He trailed off, his words fading to silence as he looked down to his hands, as if hoping that they somehow held his secrets.

Maria watched him for a long moment, her gaze softening solemnly. His sorrow almost companionable to her, she asked quietly, "Do you really not know your own name?"

"My name?" He muttered before dropping his hands. Slowly, he turned to face the hazel eyed girl, his shadowed emerald orbs landing on her with the most intensity she had yet to see on the stranger "It's…" The man started to speak softly, confused and uncertain all at the same time, before his voice hardened, a sudden flash of clarity in his empty eyes as he finished, "It's Micheal. I think… my name is Micheal."

…

" _It's not your fault, Micheal…"_

" _P-Please... don't hate me…"_

All of a sudden I choked, my eyes snapping open as I woke up, and I gasped as the world around me blurred and was dotted with black.

Pushing myself up as I coughed, I slammed a fist painfully against my chest. I merely continued to hack and cough and wheeze, until finally-  _finally_ \- the darkness faded and my throat and lungs cleared up. I breathed heavily for a few moments, just sitting there with a hand resting upon my chest, waiting for everything to go back to normal.

While a little scared, I wondered if that attack had anything to do with the dream or the Keeper of Darkness. It was… terrifying… and a little worrisome, but I had to get through this. I just had to play nice with the Organization members until I can go back home. Besides, if that really  _was_ my Maria… I had to talk to her.

I couldn't, I  _wouldn't_ , just sit here and hide if my sister was running about. Pushing myself up into a sitting position, I winced at the pain in my chest and slid off the edge of the bed. I had to have been seriously stressed out to have that kind of dream again, but given everything that's been going on… it isn't really all that surprising. I actually got some back story no the people this time now though, so that's an interesting little thing.

 _Somehow I'm not surprised my brain would incorporate_ _Disney_   _into my dreams._

I sighed, moving over to the bag on the ground, and pulled out a different shirt to wear. I wasn't sure how many hours had passed, or if it was even the same day, but I didn't want to risk it. I quickly took off my button-up and slipped on a grey turtleneck instead, placing my glasses back on my face, and stood. I brushed my teeth, did a once-over with my hair, and headed off to the door to open it.

_Here's to hoping Maria doesn't kill me…_

I reached out, grabbing the doorknob, and just as I wrapped my hand around it the door opened, slamming into me with surprising force and smacking me straight in the face. I yelped and cried out as I stumbled back, falling onto my rear on the floor. Rubbing my bruising face, I looked up to see what had caused the attack.

My eyes widened upon the sight of a familiar giant, the ginger staring down at me expressionlessly. "Lexaeus!" I haven't gotten to speak to him much, but then again he doesn't really talk much. "O-Oh! Um, a-are you my… my guard today or something?"

He gave a silent nod, as angry-look as ever despite the pure emptiness in his eyes. Lexaeus stepped forward, kneeling down, and extended a hand out to me. I stared at it in confusion for a moment, wondering if he wanted a high-five, before realization hit me. I reached out and accepted the help, the giant helping me back onto my feet with the slightest of tugs.

Heck, even with as small a tug as that I still nearly went barrelling forward and crashing into him. If he hadn't used his other hand to stop me, clasping it on my shoulder, he probably would have become a human pillow. "S-Sorry!" I stammered, pulling away and placing a hand on the wall so I wouldn't fall again. "Um, th-thank you. Y-You okay?"

Lexaeus didn't respond. His eyebrows furrowed even further, almost as if he were confused or contemplating something, before he stood. It was then I was reminded of his true height- of just  _how_ tall he really was. I barely went up to just above his elbows, having to crane my neck back so far just to look at his face.

Most of my friends back home were taller than me, one even standing just an inch below Marluxia's height, but this man was in a completely different league of his own. It didn't help that he looked like he could break me in half like a twig he wanted to. This man was  _ripped_. It was… sort of terrifying, as I knew if he decided to kill me he would most definitely be able to, but at the same time Lexaeus was one of the more friendlier people here in this messed up place.

When he finally spoke, it took all I had not to flinch back from the sheer  _iron_ in his voice. He never said much, at least not to me, so whenever he did speak it always took me by surprise. "You should be more worried about yourself. The Organization is full of dangerous characters."

"But…" Though his words made sense, it confused me a little. "But didn't you guys bring me here to be "protected"? So far the only ones that I really consider dangerous are Axel and Larxene, and that's only because Axel attacked me when we first met and Larxene… uh…" Hmm. Should I tell him? Marluxia already knows about it and I never told him anything, but then again he said he was the only who really tolerated Larxene. She probably brought it up.

I shook my head, deciding that it was unimportant. Marluxia seemed irritable enough when speaking about it, and I didn't want to get her into any more trouble than necessary. Lexaeus just stared, gaze intense and speculating.

"It-It's nothing. So, um, what are we doing today?"

"...Follow me." He offered no explanation, simply turning around and walking off. I slumped my shoulders, exasperated by the lack of detail. Regardless, I did as told and ran after him, slowing down to a walk only when I caught up to him.

"Is it the kitchen again? Every time someone comes by, we always seem to go the kitchen. Then it's usually the lounge. Is the lounge everyone's hang out place? I-Is that what it is? Why does Axel seem to hate Marluxia? Why does  _everyone_ seem to hate Marluxia? He's really nice. Demyx is pretty cool, too, but a lot people seem fed up with him as well…"

"...Nine and Eleven are unique characters," Lexaeus' reasoning, not looking down at me once as we walked, the two of us turning down a hallway, "Few tolerate Nine because of his antics. Eleven…" He paused, stopping in place. Lexaeus looked down at me, eyes intense, a deep frown on his lips. "There is more to him than what meets the eyes. You are a being of light, surrounded by complete darkness… yet stand too close to the shadows and your glow will get extinguished. Be wary of those you meet."

Cryptic, much… but is he telling me to  _not_ trust Marluxia? Why? Appearances are not what they seem… is he saying he's two-faced? I mean, he did go from really hateful towards Maria and really nice towards me… before he went all emotionless and irritable when I tried to explain why I thought they had hearts. He could just be bi-polar. "O-Okay… but what about Zexion? He's not mean or hateful either- just sort of grumpy. Can I trust him?"

"...That's for you to decide." Was all he said before taking off again. I huffed, struggling to catch up to him again, and was practically jogging trying to remain in step with him. "The lab is this way."

"Which way-oh. Whoa!" I had started to walk down some stairs, a few feet behind Lexaeus, when a strange creature flew out from the empty abyss below us. Humanoid, but white and blue with spindly arms and legs that could very well be used as blades. "W-What the heck is- _gah!_ " I stepped back, startled, only to let out a yell and fall to my knees when the creature flew straight at me, odd arms outstretched. "N-No!" I leaned back, pretty much rolling out of the way when it tried to lunge at me again, but being on a staircase…

I ended up falling down the stairs. Thankfully I was upright, merely sliding painfully down them because of how I landed, but it still really freaking hurt and it took me reaching out to grab onto the railing to prevent knocking into the person walking up the stairs. A person with long blue hair and amber eyes, expression colder than I've ever seen yet. His entire being gave out an aura of pride, eyes cruel and condescending despite the emptiness they possessed deep within.

"Where is your guardian, Light Keeper?" He demanded. I flinched, struggling to stammer a reply, and had just managed to get two syllables out I found myself being lifted up in the air. I shrieked, latching onto whatever had grabbed me, only to blink in surprise when I realized it was Lexaeus, the giant having lifted me up and holding me in the arm with one arm. "Five, what is the meaning of this? Why are you allowing her to run around like an imbecile?"

"..." Lexaeus just stared him down, neither amused or impressed by Saix's indifferent and superior act. "...There was a rogue dusk."

"And?"

"...It's gone now." A dusk… that's the lowest form of Nobody, isn't it?  _No wonder why Axel was so scared of being "dusked". Those things are terrifying._ Are the dusks normally under control? Is that why he called it "rogue"?

Completely silent, Saix narrowed his eyes at the giant. He then turned, sending Lexaeus one last stern glare, before continuing on his way up the staircase. Lexaeus' arm now basically a chair, I peered over the giant's shoulder to watch as the rude man vanished from view. "Why is everyone so angry…? You didn't do anything wrong!" It's my fault for falling down the stairs, not Lexaeus'; there was no reason for that man to have gotten mad at him. "Jerk."

"..." Lexaeus glanced at me from the corner of his eyes, an eyebrow just partially raised. Feeling his stare I turned my head, blinking down at him, only to have my eyes widen as I realized something. I looked around us, then down at the ground, and exclaimed,

"Dude, I'm taller than you now! Haha! I'm never the tall one!"

As I laughed excitedly, ignoring my fear of heights as I clung onto his shoulder so not to fall to my impending doom, the giant merely shook his head and continued on walking down the staircase. I wasn't sure how long it took before we reached our destination, the hallways endless and the amount of staircases completely ridiculous. We went down as twice as many stairs as we went up, and after what felt like forever we finally reached a double door.

It was the only thing that looked different in this whole godforsaken castle. It was the same color as the rest, but it was a  _double door._ Lexaeus reached a hand up and knocked, rapping on the metal a good six times before it opened. A man, who managed to look even  _more_ grumpy than Zexion, opened the door. His acid green eyes twitched, dirty blond locks falling down to rest on his chest.

Definitely one of the older people here, maybe forty or fifty, and he was wearing a lab coat. "What is it, Lexaeus?" The man demanded, his voice surprisingly high. "Zexion and I are busy trying to repair the research that was destroyed in Wonderland; why are you-" He cut himself off, crazed eyes widening before his right eye narrowed, his gaze zeroing in on me curiously. "Is this the Keeper of Light I've heard all about? Hmph. I was expecting someone a little more…  _frail_. No matter, it's all just as well."

"...Okay…?" I knit my eyebrows together, completely at a loss. "Um, I-I'm Irene. You are…?"

"My name is Vexen." He introduced, standing a little taller. He was almost Lexaeus' height, standing at a tall 6'7. "I'm number  _four_ of the Organization, known as "The Chilly Academic"."

"Chilly?" I asked, still befuddled but a very bad idea growing in my head. "Why "chilly'?"

"My element is ice." He clarified. Vexen's expression was a little bit freaky, one eye significantly wider than the other and giving off the look of a madman. "All members of the Organization have a specific element they use."

"Demyx said something about that…" I mumbled, eyebrows knitting together. I thought of the water bubbles he made appear out of thin air, and the chakrams Axel had erupted into flame. "Well, uh, a-anyway, it's… it's  _ice_ to meet you!"

He stared. Like… no joke, Vexen just…  _stared_. His eyebrow rose higher than I thought possible, the man turning to look at Lexaeus as if for confirmation he did indeed hear me correctly. Lexaeus gave a small nod and, upon seeing their reactions, I was unable to hold myself back from continuing with a massive grin.

"It's must be  _snow_ awesome to have such a  _cool_ ability! Y-You probably  _vex_ all your opponents." Don't laugh, d-don't laugh- oh gods, it's too late. I was already bringing a hand up to cover my mouth, snorting and giggling away like a maniac at the horrendous jokes. "Th-They must be ch- _chilled_ to the bone!"

"...Lexaeus, where did you find this ludicrous child? I think her brain might be broken." His eyes lit up, the male's lips curling up into a smirk as he brought a hand up to his chin. "This would be the perfect excuse to do some experiments of my own… to find out how the Keepers tick… and why the bond between them is so necessary for their very existence…"

 _W-Wait, what?_ His words sobered me up pretty quick. "E-Experiments? O-Okay, um, n-no thank you. I-I'm just-I'm just gonna… go now." As fun as it was being taller than other people, I wasn't very keen on being cut open and dissected. I slid off of Lexaeus' arm, yelping when I landed on the ground rather roughly, and winced when pain flared through my right ankle. "N-No experiments on me today, you-you wonderful people! I-I appreciate the offer,  _but_ -"

"Who said it was a suggestion?" Vexen countered, eyes flashing almost maliciously.  _Okay_ , now I'm twice as scared. He stepped forward, looking ready to drag me into the lab of possible death. "Besides, we still need to get your DNA in order to decipher whether or not you and the Keeper of Darkness truly  _are_ related."

"N-No thank-"

The doors to the lap pushed open, a very familiar and very welcoming face peering out in irritation. "Vexen, what is taking so long? We haven't finished completing your notes. Are you that caught up in conversation with the Keeper of Light and Lexaeus that-"

" _Zexion!_ " Oh thank gods. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Friend! Save me! Free me! Get me away from this crazed scientist and  _holy crap_ he's wearing a lab coat. Nice. The blue-eyed male turned his head in my direction when he heard me say his name, raising an eyebrow when he saw the situation. Vexen had a firm grip on my arm by this point, Lexaeus standing to the side and watching silently, while I was tugging and pulling and trying to escape the mad scientist.

"...What is going on here?" He demanded, a frown adorning his face. "Vexen, why are you harassing the Keeper of Light?"

" _Harassing_?" The mad scientist echoed, right eye widening while the other narrowed. "I am most certainly not  _harassing_ anyone, number six! I was merely imploring the child to seek medical help in the lab- her brain must have suffered severe damage from her travel in the dark corridors."

"Y-You wanted to experiment on me!" I argued, trying to peel his fingers off of my arm. For someone who was so tall and lanky, he certainly had an iron grip. "I-I'm not a monkey, s-so go find someone else to go bananas with!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Y-You heard me!" I refuse to be some sort of… lab rat. I refuse to be poked, prodded, or cut into; I'm not anybody's science project. I'm a person and I demanded to be treated as such. Vexen started to look irritated, opening his mouth to say something, only to release me and stumble back like he had gotten burned when I shouted, "N-Now let  _go_ of me!"

The sudden release of my arm caused me to fall back, tripping over my feet and landing rather harshly on the ground. Vexen's expression went from pain to curiosity in a matter of seconds, the scientist staring down at his steaming hand. Meanwhile, I scrambled up onto all fours and dashed over to hide behind Zexion and Lexaeus, refusing to be near that crazed man any longer than necessary. "Interesting, " Vexen murmured, " _very_ interesting. Tell me,  _child_ , how long have you been using fire magic?"

What? Has he gone bonkers? What is wrong with him? Still on the ground, using Zexion's left leg for cover, I peered out from the side to give Vexen an incredulous look. "How mad are you!? I can't use magic!"

"I beg to differ." He huffed, turning his hand around so we could all see the new burns. "Weak fire, but strong enough to leave a mark. You channeled it with fear, didn't you? Fear, anger… as the Keeper of Light it's only natural you're able to use magic, but you were most likely unable to channel any of your mana until now- using the Keeper of Darkness as a conduit. Even then, I doubt this is your true element…"

Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Just… rewind. " _What?_  I-I didn't… I couldn't-"

"You did." The iron-strong voice nearly made me jump, Lexaeus so silent I almost forgot he was there. I looked up at him in alarm, though because I was sitting down it made it a little difficult. I stood, wrapping my arms around myself and gripping my sleeves tightly.

"I…" I didn't do that. There's no way. B-Besides, I wouldn't have…  _hurt_ anyone even if I did. I looked at Vexen, uncertain and feeling like a horrible human being. "I-I'm sorry…" I still don't believe it, but if I somehow  _did_ then… those burns are my fault. I blinked away a few tears, biting my bottom lip. "I-I'm so sorry…"

The surprise was evident, even on stoic Lexaeus' face, when I apologized. Zexion's gaze sharpened, the male stepping away and looking down at me with an arm crossed over his chest, his other hand brought up to rest on his chin in curiosity. "You apologize quite often despite us being your captors… do you not believe your attack on Vexen to be justified?"

I stepped back, shrinking underneath all their gazes. "I… I just… I don't know. I-I didn't want to- I didn't mean…" I never got to finish. I wasn't  _able_ to finish, my voice stuck in my throat, but a large hand on my shoulder silenced any and all words I would have struggled trying to get out.

"Zexion," Lexaeus began, expression as blank as before, "the DNA."

The Cloaked Schemer blinked, raising his head up to meet his comrade's gaze, and lowered with his hand with a nod. "Very well. Please, follow me; I need to recover a few biological samples from you." Zexion turned, heading in through the double doors, and gestured for me to follow. I hesitated to follow him, not wanting to head into the lab, and I glanced up at Lexaeus for help.

The giant merely nodded. Concern and fear written all over my face, I took a deep breath and followed, Lexaeus right behind me and Vexen behind him. The lab was… honestly, a mixture of terrifying and amazing. It was everything you would expect in a sci-fi story, complete with those life-sized jars of liquid you would often find clones forming in.

Vexen headed off to a cabinet filled with odd looking colored liquids, opening the glass doors and pulling out one with a bright color and drinking it. The first-degree burn on his hand faded as if it was never there, the flesh closing over itself. It was a rather disturbing sight, but a relieving one nonetheless. The guilt I felt from having caused the injury still ate away at me, however.

I jumped when I heard someone clear their throat, turning my head to see Zexion looking at me impatiently. He gestured to a small metal table beside him. "Have a seat. Lexaeus will keep you company; I need to go get the equipment." E-Equipment…?

"O-Okay…" Um, this is kinda scary, but… sure. Though a little reluctant, I pushed myself up and climbed onto the table, looking around the room anxiously.  _It's fine. It'll be okay._ Zexion is one the friendlies, remember? He's not going to hurt me. "Um, wh-what all is he going to do?"

Lexaeus merely shrugged at my question. I lowered my head, looking at the floor tightening my hold on the edge of the table. I thought on what happened, of how they said  _I_ caused the wound on Vexen. I know that I'm supposedly a Keeper of Light… and that I'm one the guardians of man's hearts? That alone entails I should have some sort of ability, but I just… I just have so much trouble accepting all of it.

All of this is so unreal…

A hand shoving itself in front of my face snapped me out my thoughts, Zexion standing in front of me with a cup held in his hand and a small vial in another. Instead of his normal black leather gloves, he now wearing a pair of latex gloves. Beside him was a small metal cart, all sorts of little instruments on it. "Drink this," he ordered, handing me the cup and picking up what looked to be a buccal swab, "then open your mouth."

Though confused, I did as told. I took a quick swig of the water and opened my mouth, trying not to make a face when he stuck the buccal swab in my mouth and ran it against the inside of my cheek. When he was finished he stuck the buccal swab in the vial, setting it down carefully, and lifted up a small syringe.  _Is he…?_ I watched as he stuck a needle carefully inside of it, turning to face me.  _Oh gods, he is._

"Roll up your sleeve." Wondering if blood was really necessary for a simple DNA comparing test, I rolled up my sleeve and tried not to feel too awkward as he pressed his thumb around the veins on the inside of my arm, Zexion trying to find a good place for the needle. Suddenly, and without warning, he stuck the needle inside my flesh.

It stung a little, but it wasn't enough to make me flinch. At the moment, I was just glad I had strong veins- at least, that's what the last person who took my blood said. "H-How many samples do you need?"

"Enough." He responded. I pouted, biting my bottom lip nervously. I wasn't sure how well I liked that answer. Zexion was certainly one of the more friendlier members that I've met, if only for his politeness, but he made it hard to hold conversation with how cryptic and brief he was when talking.

Once the syringe was filled with blood, the male pulled away and pressed his thumb against the small incision, putting pressure to stop the bleeding, and waited a few moment before removing his hand. He took the vial of blood out of the syringe, setting it down next to the buccal swab vile, and took off his gloves.

"That's all, Lexaeus. Thank you."

The giant regarded Zexion with a short nod, the tall ginger turning to face me. As I pulled my sleeve back down, Lexaeus spoke. "We're leaving."

"...Hah?" I blinked, ready to ask  _where_ we were leaving to, but never got the chance as I was picked up and lifted into the air. "Wh- _Whoa!_ " He set me on his arm again, carrying me as if I weighed nothing, and I held onto his shoulder for dear life as he started to walk away. As he passed Vexen, who scrunched his nose up at me distastefully, I could hear Zexion mutter,

"All that's left is the Keeper of Darkness…"


	9. Experiments and Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of which Maria and Axel form a love/hate friendship, Xaldin gets agitated, and Zexion becomes doctor for the day. 
> 
> "It doesn't matter; you can't leave the castle!"
> 
> "I'm a grown ass woman. I can do whatever the hell I want."

The lab session was something rather unnerving, but as Lexaeus walked down the hallways with me sitting on his arm and clinging to his shoulders, I tried not to think on it. I got to see Zexion again, which was nice,  _and_ I got to tell a few more bad jokes alongside that. Granted, Vexen wasn't exactly the warmest of people… the crazy man wanted to  _experiment_ on me!

Oh gods. Those giant tubes- he's not going to take the blood Zexion obtained from me and try to make evil clones, is he!? Is that a thing he can do? I don't know how things work in this place, in this…  _world_. If Zexion hadn't actually showed up when he did and stopped Vexen from attacking me, what would have happened?

Leaning down and propping my arms on Lexaeus' shoulder, burying my face in my elbow, I squeezed my eyes tightly shut.  _I'm scared._ I'm really scared. I know I was finally able to have my emotional breakdown the last time I went to sleep, but… it's still difficult trying to handle everything that was happening. I sort of wished Demyx was here right now- even though he was as void of emotion as the others he still tried to act cheerful. I liked talking to him.

_If Maria really is my sister… what's going to happen?_

If Zexion's tests prove positive and she is  _my_ Maria, what are we going to do? She's not just going to accept me into her life- I don't really expect her to. As much as I would like to have my sister back in my life… I won't force her. I shouldn't have even brought it up back in the lounge- people were going through unnecessary work for something that won't even have a positive ending. I was just putting more stress on them.

_She's just going to hate me in the end._

She lived without me and the rest of our family for so long- what if she already had a new one? It would be cruel to force this information on her and yet… I had already done so. I already attacked her with the knowledge of my missing Maria.

_Why am I like this…?_

The rest of the walk to wherever it was we were heading was mainly consisting of me berating and insulting myself in silence, thinking of all the worst possible scenarios that would happen if the tests did prove positive once Zexion got her genetic samples. That's not even to mention that if she  _wasn't_ my sister-

No. Irene. Just… Just stop. Quit torturing yourself like this; it's not going to do anything for you in the end. She either is or isn't your sister, but regardless of the outcome she's going to despise you anyway. If she attacked the other members, who's to say she isn't going to attack you?

_She seemed so angry in the hallway… all she did was glare._

This whole situation was so messed up. I hate this… I hate this so much. There's nothing good about coming here, about being brought here, about meeting these people. These…  _Nobodies_. I just want to go home.

With a heavy sigh I turned my head, staring blankly at the solid white floor and watching as it passed by. Empty and soulless… without an ounce of color or personality. Shifting a little, Lexaeus unperturbed by all the movement, I moved my arm and outstretched a hand outward, turning my hand until I was staring at my palm.

_This is all wrong._

Everything that was going on, all of what was happening… their claims to be physically heartless. It felt all so very wrong. And that magic Zexion, Lexaeus, and Vexen claimed I did… I still can't find myself to believe that it was  _me_. It can't have been. I'm… ordinary. Ordinary and plain and boring. I shouldn't be able to use magic.

_And yet I did._

I felt the warmth spark through my hands when it had happened- the tingle shooting down my arm. Vexen had been frightening me so much and all I wanted was for him to let go. I wanted to run and hide. And then… I hurt him. I didn't mean to, but I hurt him.

_I hate this so much._

I closed my eyes, silent and waiting for the walk to be over. I didn't know where we were going; I didn't really care. I wanted nothing to do with this world.

A creaking noise caught my attention, so I opened my eyes and sat up. Lexaeus ducked down as he walked into the kitchen, so to avoid either of us smacking the top of the doorway, and set me down on my feet. I blinked in surprise, looking around when I saw where we were. I didn't think we were  _actually_ going to go to the kitchen- I had just been joking about that earlier because that seemed to be where everyone constantly brought me. Though, considering where we were now, I supposed that this was just a routine or everyone's favorite place to go.

"Lex-?" I wasn't able to finish, startled by the sound of metal clinking against glass. I whirled around, eyes widening when I saw a familiar redhead stirring what looked like a bowl of cereal. A contemplative look on his face, Axel looked greatly confused by something-  _if_ a Nobody "could feel" confusion. "Axel?"

"Hm?" The redhead hummed, raising his head and staring blankly in our direction- as though he didn't recognize us- before something flickered and recognition flashed on his face. "Oh, rabbit girl. And Lex. You guys here for lunch?"

"R-Rabbit girl?" Where did  _that_ come from? Oh, wait… I remember now. "Granted my Chinese Zodiac  _is_ a rabbit… I thought you hated Marluxia?" Why would he use a nickname  _he_ gave me if he despised him so much?

At the very name of the pink-haired Nobody, Axel's expression turned sour. "No, whatever could have given you  _that_ idea?"

"Oh, I don't know," I mused, making a face as I pretended to think, "perhaps it's the fact that the last time I saw you two, you both were ready to tear each other to shreds!?" Why is that everyone is always ready to spill blood? Freaking- even Saix got mad at Lexaeus earlier for no reason in particular. The only people who  _don't_ seem to go looking for a fight are Lexaeus, Demyx and Zexion. "You guys are… You guys are a team, right? An Organization? Sh-Shouldn't you guys act more…  _organized_ or something?"

It was scary; the idea that they would all willingly try to kill each other scared me. They should be working together, not against each other. What if… What if I wake up one day and half the Organization is just… dead? I don't know them very well and I don't really  _want_ to know them very well, but I can't stand the thought of them just… dying.

I don't understand how they could all want to hurt each other.

The sound of a chair scraping marble tile caught my attention, causing me to look up. Before I knew it, I was pushed back with Lexaeus' arm in front of me protectively, Axel standing a few feet away from us, his emerald eyes cold and empty. I was a little frightened of Axel, but I hadn't expected Lexaeus to take his role of "guard" so seriously. I would have thought he'd find me a nuisance more than anything.

"Ever think that maybe Xemnas grabbed a bunch of Nobodies with no place to go and stuck 'em with a cloak?" The redhead growled, the room warming up multiple degrees as his fingertips threatened to flicker with flames. "You have the founders of the Organization, and then you have the scraps that were picked up after. We weren't chosen because of our amazing teamwork; we were picked because he needed people that would work under him. If we so much as defect or turn rogue, we'll be turned to dusks and obliterated."

Axel moved closer, stopping directly in front of the ginger giant and peering down at me coldly from behind Lexaeus' arm.

"You got it memorized, _kid?_ We don't get along because we aren't  _meant_ to get along. We're all here to complete one goal and one goal only: to complete Kingdom hearts and get  _our_ hearts back. Just because we're in a faction together doesn't mean we have to be  _nice_ to each other. It's survival of the fittest here and it's best you learn that quickly."

I recoiled at the harshness of his tone. I felt a bit like I had gotten punched in the gut, the words hitting home and making breathing a little difficult. I tried to keep my expression blank, but it was difficult and instead took on the form of something that resembled a kicked puppy. "I-I didn't mean-"

"You didn't mean to make me mad? Yeah, well, welcome to reality, kid. You-"

" _No_ ," I cut in, anxiety causing me to mentally berate myself for speaking up, "I didn't  _mean_ to cause any of this! I didn't… I didn't ask to be a stupid Light Keeper, you know! It's  _your_ fault that I'm here!"

"And how is it  _my_ fault all of a sudden!?"

"Because  _you_ were the one who  _kidnapped_ me!" My vision grew blurry and my head pounded, my heart racing as my breathing grew uneven. I became briefly aware that I didn't use my nebulizer today. "E-Everything was f-fine, and-and then  _you_ showed up with c-creepy Xigbar a-and you guys hurt my friends a-and then you tried to _kill_ me! If-If you didn't show up that day then I wouldn't have had to come here!"

Axel laughed, the sound rather bitter to my ears. He placed a hand on his hip, staring down at me with a sardonic smile. "Oh? So it's  _my_ fault? Let's not forget that the one who really kidnapped you is Zexion. You saw him and didn't argue once as he led you through the Dark Corridor."

"I-I didn't-"

"Nope! You saw him and it was like you were  _starstruck."_ He waved his hands sarcastically in the air, the redhead pausing only when he saw I was glaring at him through the tears. "What? Am I wrong? You fought me and Xigbar, but you didn't resist Zexion."

"Yeah, b-but only because  _he_ didn't try to kill me! If memory serves, he sh-showed up and then… and then stopped  _you_ from slicing me in half with your-your stupid  _flame_ chakrams!"

"Stupid? Kid, you don't know who you're talking to-"

" _Axel._ " The deep iron voice echoed around the kitchen, clear and strong and silencing the argument. Axel and I both froze, the redhead raising his head up to stare at the giant standing behind me, Lexaeus' gaze fixed firmly on Axel. He said nothing aside from the pyro's name, but the message was clear.

Axel turned his head away and huffed, bringing a hand up and ruffling his hair. "Okay, fine. Whatever. I was getting sick of this conversation anyway." He shook his head and pushed past us, opening the door and nearly walking face-first into Xaldin. "Whoa- _hey!_ A little warning next time?"

Xaldin just stared down at him unimpressed. "You should watch where you're going. More importantly, where is the Keeper of Darkness? You're supposed to be watching Maria."

"Is  _everyone_ on my case today!? She fell asleep, okay? I'm not about to stand over her like a creep and wait for her to wake up! Now leave me alone."

"Number Eight, what are you-" Axel didn't let Xaldin finish his sentence, roughly pushing past him and leaving the kitchen. Xaldin scowled and glared in the direction the redhead had left. "Insolent little… hmph. One of these days he'll listen."

Axel had just… I was…

_I don't feel so good._

An arm resting across my stomach, I clamped a hand over my mouth and strangled back a sob, eyes squeezing tightly shut. I couldn't breathe properly-I couldn't think. My head was pounding and my heart was working in overdrive, lungs gradually beginning to burn and hurt like a pair of weights were pressing down on them.

_A-Air-!_

I stumbled back, moving blindly as black spots corned my vision. I was scared and frantic, and I had no idea where my bedroom was or if I could even get there before I passed out. I was determined to try, and remained unaware of Lexaeus and Xaldin's startled and confused reactions as a strange heat passed through my hand and expelled itself into the space before me-swirling gold and white, non-threatening and caused by sheer desperation to survive.

I stumbled into that light, something in my heart telling me I would be safe if I did so, and promptly collapsed into white as a comforting warmth enveloped me and alleviated the pressure and pain I felt.

Then, as I hit solid ground, I blacked out.

…

Axel hadn't meant to get mad at the kid- he honestly didn't. He just had a lot on his mind, struggling to wrap his brain around the events that were happening about the castle and trying to understand  _why_ the Keepers were so necessary to them. It wasn't like they actually needed them- the whole point of having them there was so that the Organization's enemies couldn't use them against them. But then it turned out the Keepers were possibly sisters…

_Talk about one messed up family._

Eyebrows raised, he grumbled to himself and ruffled his hair as he made his way down the hallway. Axel didn't really feel guilty about getting so angry with the kid- she was the one who brought up that arrogant,  _prissy_  bastard in the first place- but he knew that if he had a heart he would probably feel really bad about making a little girl cry. Lea certainly would…

_But I'm not Lea. Lea was foolish Human who went out of his way to smile and befriend everyone- who snuck into places he wasn't supposed to and got himself killed because of it. I'm Axel._

And Axel wasn't an idiot- he wasn't a fool. Axel was manipulative, cold, and cunning. He knew how to play his cards right and how to act; after all, isn't the whole non-existence as a Nobody nothing more than an act? They pretend to be who they were, while pushing towards what they could never be. They'll never be Human, they'll never be who they had lost; all Nobodies could do was fight for a Heart, even if it seems pointless and impossible.

The Organization was their only hope to achieve that meaningless goal, and they couldn't stop until they reached it. Sure, they still age- Axel had the body of a teenager when he was created and nearly ten years have passed since then, but that wasn't going to stop them. They had to keep going.

It was their only reason to live this empty life.

 _Yet that stupid girl just doesn't seem to get it._ The Keeper of Light seemed absolutely certain that they had to have hearts and that magic didn't exist. She believed that since they were all in the same faction that they had to get along.  _She doesn't understand anything._

Marluxia was going to exploit her weaknesses. He was going to turn her into a lifeless puppet that obeyed only him. Axel could read that narcissistic assassin like an open book... but, unfortunately, there wasn't really anything Axel would do to stop him. Why should he? It would the girl's own damn fall for falling for his sickening lies.

 _At least the Keeper of Darkness has a good head on her shoulders._ He huffed, opening the door to his room, and walked in. Quietly as he could, he closed the door behind him so not to disturb the resting woman on his bed.  _She doesn't trust anyone here- though, it's rather obvious why._

With a sigh, Axel walked over and sat down on the floor, back resting against the side of the bedframe. It had been a  _long_ few days and, honestly, he wanted to get a nap in while he could. He was sick of everyone nagging him- Saix, Xaldin, the Superior… even Lexaeus was trying to get on his case now.

_A rampaging woman and timid little girl… that's a nightmare if I've ever heard one._

As Axel fell asleep, his mind was left wondering what made such a peaceful sleeping face twist into something so angry, and so full of hate and flame.

…

Zexion paused mid-typing, his nose twitching as a scent faded from the castle. It was an almost burning sort of scent, so full of light and fear, and one that would never leave his mind because of how sickeningly pungent it was. That scent belonged to one very peculiar Keeper of Light and… it vanished.

Single blue eye narrowing, he pulled away from the large array of computers and the data they possessed, the young scientist bringing a hand up to his face-index and middle finger resting upon the bridge of his nose as he thought.

_She can't have just vanished… The Keeper of Light barely has any access to her powers. The only way possible for her to vanish like that would be to traverse through a Corridor of Darkness- yet, if that were the case, I should have caught scent of the darkness around her. She_ _was_ _near Xaldin and Lexaeus after all…_

He recalled how she had trouble breathing the other day, nearly falling over the staircase railing if not for him having caught her arm in time. Perhaps… no. However, he can't erase that as a possible variable; if she was under enough stress at the time then it  _is_ likely that she managed to access a portion of her power to create a passageway of light. That would explain the sudden spike in energy and light he had smelled.

 _While intriguing, this is far from wanted_ , Zexion thought with a grimace, waving a hand in the air and creating a Corridor of Darkness. He needed to speak with Lexaeus, discover what had happened, otherwise-

Zexion blinked, partially surprised when the scent reappeared in the castle. Sickeningly pungent, churning his stomach just slightly, and appeared within the proximity of her room. No, that wasn't it. It was  _in_ the Keeper of Light's room that the scent reappeared. Interesting.

Just as Vexen walked into the room, Zexion walked through the portal with a question in mind.

_What was her goal?_

…

Unfurling from the last remnants of sleep, Maria's mind slowly came back to her. Falling had always been easy, it was the climb back up that was difficult. To come back from drowning in one's own heart. Although, if she was to be honest, Maria was never fond of staying in her own heart. She had closed off it's walls long ago. And yet...

_"It's Micheal. I think… my name is Micheal."_

How he had gotten there was still a mystery, this  _Micheal_. But now that he had found a way to reside within the confines of Maria's heart, it was hard to make him leave. In a way, their hearts connected, and that gave her pause.

She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind as wakefulness seized her, taking note that of her surroundings before opening her eyes. She remembered a sunset blazing red over the sea, and a clocktower. Axel. Falling asleep against his shoulder.

The surface she now laid on was  _not_  the redhead's shoulder.

Shifting, she felt soft sheets and a warm pillow beneath her head, nuzzling into the soft comfort it provided. The sweet smell of spiced cinnamon and musk filling her nose as before she dared to crack open an eye. The familiar white walls and bleak furniture told her she was back at the castle, but this was not her room. She looked around, sighing at the baren, barely used furniture save for a few ice cream sticks littering the trash can near the dresser before seeing a familiar mop of spiked red hair over the edge of the bed. Axel sat on the floor, back pressed against the side of the bed as he tilted his head back onto the mattress. Chest rising and falling easily in sleep.

She watched him for a moment, debating to let herself fall back into sleep or to move about again. Instead of doing either, she moved lower on the bed, curling around the space Axel's head took before gently grasping a sprig of crimson hair between her fingers. It was surprisingly soft, especially since it seemed to defy gravity so well; she had thought it would have been much stiffer. The silken strands brushed easily through her fingers as she weaved them through it. Enjoying the soft touch they provided to her battle hardened hands.

Simple, sweet, and altogether out of reach. It was things like this that Maria remembered would never be hers willingly. That damn mouse made it perfectly clear; her darkness made her a tool. And her training made that tool into a lethal weapon. Gentle things were not meant to be kept in flame; her sparks burned to hotly.

With a nearly-there sigh, and a face as blank as porcelain masks, she sat up, moving to get off the bed and move to the door. She was just past the dresser when a soft rasp of a voice sounded, still muddled by sleep.

"Not even gonna say goodbye for leaving? That's harsh."

She half turned to look down at Axel, staring at the redhead whom had not yet moved. Arms still crossed lazily over his chest, one leg propped up lightly. She crossed her arms, waiting for him to give some other form of acknowledgement before speaking.

Slowly, one green eye opened to peer up at her, staring her down, "Where exactly do you plan on going?"

"I hardly think it matters." She replied smoothly, cocking her head to the side a bit at his lazy demeanor.

With a groan, he closed his eye again, moving to sit up properly and stand with a grumble of annoyance at the movement, "It matters. I know we had a fun little field trip but you still can't go running off by yourself."

"It wouldn't be the first time I've roamed the halls alone."

"If Xemnas had it his way there wouldn't have been a first time."

"I don't see why my walking is such a chore for him."

"Just humor me, will ya? You already played with my hair. At least indulge me in not running off somewhere."

A scowl decorated her features at that, the slight coloring in her cheeks easy enough to be mistaken for anger, "You're a dangerous man, Axel."

"What can I say?" He chimed with a grin, moving his hands to his hips. He looked her over before falling back into a serious tone, "Honestly, though, if the Superior finds you walking the halls alone, it won't matter that you're the Keeper of Darkness. He  _will_  hurt you."

"I'm assuming by your tone that it won't just be me he attempts to hurt."

"Xemnas isn't known as the forgiving sort. I don't know about you, but I don't like the idea of being dusked."

"Care to elaborate on that?"

"Not really."

Maria scowled. Glaring up at him with agitation written all over her posture. Whatever easy camaraderie they had earlier seemed to be nonexistent now. Figures.

"You're more than welcome to follow if you're that worried about your hide, but I'm not staying here." She stated as she moved to head out the door again.

"You can't just _leave_  the castle. Xemnas will destroy you!" He snapped, taking a step forward.

She stopped with her hand on the doorknob, glaring back at him, "I never said I wouldn't come back. I have things to take care of. Threats of death be damned, I'm going and you can either follow or scurry in fear like a rat. Man up or back off, Axel. I won't be made a damsel to be kept locked away. If you all are so intent to keep me here there are things that I need."

"You can't leave."

"Watch me."

…

Sharp pain stabbed me from all over my body, needles tearing away inside my chest and ripping at my lungs. When I awoke, it was bound to a lab table with my arms and legs strapped down by brown leather, wires in my arms and an oxygen mask on my face. When I saw all the equipment surrounding me and the high-tech machinery, my first thought was to panic; I didn't know what was happening. I had no idea where I was. I didn't remember where I had been previous before waking up, either.

I just knew I was somewhere unfamiliar, my mind was blank, and at the moment I couldn't even recall my own name. I was just  _scared_.

But I didn't scream. I held my tongue and tried to calm down, a machine beeping louder and faster as my breathing grew more labored, heart racing frantically in fear. Within moments I could hear footsteps, but it did nothing to cease my fright. I tried to wriggle my hands out from under the straps, desperate to escape from the bindings, wondering if I was about to be murdered, and it was when I was on the verge of sitting up that a pair of hands pushed me back down.

I tried to speak, but no words left me. All that came out were whimpers and a strangled sob. A single blue eye looked down at me, expression calm yet empty, a familiar voice oddly comforting despite its cold tone.

"Stop struggling."

I know him. I  _know_ I know him, s-so why can't I-? My vision was blurring, tears burning my eyes, but instead of speaking more the man simply turned and typed away on the computer.

"There's a collapse of a main stem bronchus upon exhalation, and the constant collapsing of your trachea. This is what causes your coughing and breathing problems, and why the Corridors of Darkness affected you more than usual for being pure light. Usually your symptoms would be seen in older adults, and yet…" He turned, eyeing me like a specimen to be studied. "...you prove to be the exception. Your airways also tend to swell up. Tell me, Keeper; how have you managed to survive this long with the separation of your other half given your condition?"

I don't… understand. What is he talking about? Other half?

Seeing my confused reaction, the man hummed to himself and picked an odd tool off of a tray, walking over and pressing it to my forehead. I winced, the tool cold against my skin, a small blue light radiating off of it, but within seconds he was done. Then, without any explanation, he walked off.

There was a long moment of silence, when suddenly I could hear the man speaking to someone.

"-she not going to survive?" A new voice asked, much higher and older-sounding than the man who had been speaking to me.

"...You're the genius, Vexen. Figure it out."

"Yes, but  _you're_ the real doctor here. My PHD is purely science. Can't you fix her?"

I could hear him talking with someone in the distance, but I couldn't see them. I wriggled again, wincing at the annoying beeping of the machine. Finally, after what seemed like forever, I managed to get my right wrist out from the strap. I gasped into the oxygen mask as I did so, my flesh relieved to longer be bound.

"It's not a matter of "can I", Vexen." The man who had spoken to me sounded a little irritated by this point. "It's _if_ I can find a proper solution to remedy her; that would require changing her genetic design and making sure I don't harm her in the process."

"But if you don't then she  _will_ die; do you know how furious the Superior would be if we had to locate  _another_ Keeper? Nonetheless an infant!?"

I listened as they spoke, but also worked on freeing my other wrist.

"We won't."

"...You've already decided?"

I got my other hand free. I leaned down to undo my ankles. Movement hurt my arms, the needles in them pricking and pulling at my skin. Leaning over like this made it even more difficult to breathe.

"...I took a second sample of her blood while she was unconscious."

The beeping of the monitor got louder, my breathing got a bit harder the longer I remained leaned over. I unlatched my right ankle.

"After doing the necessary research, I've already started working on an antigen. I'm still calculating what all needs to be done. Perhaps  _you_ could help me for once, seeing as I'm always helping you with  _your_ experiments…"

"Why you-! You say that as if I hadn't ever expressed gratitude for your assistance!"

"..."

"..Grr…  _Fine!_ But I expect a little more respect from now on, Zexion."

"Hm."

"Don't you hum at me! Now go in there and fix the stupid brat while I go over your research!"

"...How kind of you."

"Zexion!"

There was no response, only fuming from the other person as footsteps headed my way. As I did the final latch I fell back onto the table, tired and worn and like I had ran a thousand miles without stopping. My eyes closed and things went temporarily black, but when I opened them the amount of needles in my arms had increased and the straps were latched over my wrists and ankles again.. Standing beside me was a giant, his blank iron-strong face gazing down at me, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

I blinked a few times, face contorting into pain as my brain hurt, but I recognized him. He was… god, what was it? "L…" It hurt to speak, it hurt to think, it hurt to  _be_  existing. "Le-Lex...Lexae…"

"Don't speak." Was all he said.

The sound of fingers typing against a keyboard stopped, the man with the single blue eye picking a small light off the cart beside him and walking over to me. Latex gloved fingers grabbed at my face, forcing me to look at the blue-eyed man as he shined the light in my eyes.

I winced, trying to pull away, but he didn't give me a choice. "Look at me." Confused, but trusting the stranger, I did as told and focused on his face. As I did so, he shined the light in my other eye. My eyebrows furrowed in thought, and I was left struggling to put a name with his face.

Fair skin, with the barest hint of freckles under his eyes. If it weren't for him leaning down, I wouldn't have seen the other half of his face at all. He had surprisingly long lashes, not to mention dark given his hair color. I could smell mint, which I was assuming to be his breathe, but also sanitizer and fresh soap.

My senses were working again, at least. His name… what did it start with again?

The man pulling away, he set the light down and began typing again, calling out to the person he had been talking to before. That person was messing with chemicals, muttering oddities to himself, and nodded to acknowledge the blue-eyed man's words. I didn't pay attention to what they were saying this time, my gaze focused intently on the blue-eyed man's back and trying to recall his name.

It started with a Z…

I'm pretty sure I heard it earlier, too. Watching as he picked a syringe up, tapping it with his index finger, gaze focused and calm, it suddenly hit me. The slate blue locks that fell into his face, moving with just the slightest action… the perfect posture…

"Zexion."

He paused. Lexaeus looked down at me. From behind the clear mask I was wearing, my lips spread out into a huge bright smile, my eyes lighting up as details and memories gradually returned to me.

"Y-Your n-name is… is Z-Zexion, is-isn't it?" Speaking felt like glass was shoved in my throat, but I felt like I had reached an epiphany. This man's name was Zexion; the person beside me was Lexaeus. I remembered I liked both of them; I thought they were nice and friendlier than other people. I wanted to be friends with them. "Y-You're-"

A painful, body wracking cough cut me off, heavy and thick and like I was being torn apart from inside. It lasted for a good minute, draining me of all my strength, and left me so tired afterwards that I couldn't even whimper when the man I deemed "Zexion" shoved the needle of the syringe into my arm. Pressing his thumb down against the end, he injected some sort of blue-ish green liquid into my arm.

It didn't hurt; it just tingled all over, the liquid spreading throughout my arm and gradually my whole body. There was an odd feeling in my throat, like it was closing up, but then became covered in some substance that I immediately wanted to cough out. I resisted, especially because I was wearing an oxygen mask and I didn't want to get grime all over it, so I tried to continually clear my throat.

"How is she?" A nasally voice asked, walking over with a few vials in his hands. "Did her body accept it?"

_Accept what…? What are they doing to me?_

The man with the long hair, Vexen if I'm recalling correctly, scowled at Zexion. The younger scientist merely turned away, typing at a computer with one hand and then proceeding to grab some files with the other. He handed them to Vexen, who took them curiously and began to read silently. I turned my head, looking up at Lexaeus who was still standing beside the table I was on. "Hmph. Of course she had to be broken…"

Though the coating in my throat made it hard to swallow or speak, it didn't stop me from making face at his words and giving the blond man a sour stare.  _Rude._ Zexion seemed to sense my stare, regardless of it not being meant for him, and turned his head to look down at me. The corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk. "I don't think she appreciated your "words of wisdom", Four."

"My words of- I told you to  _respect_ me, Number Six! Take that sass of yours elsewhere."

Zexion gave no response, merely closing his eyes and raising his eyebrows as he turned and began typing again. There was a whirring noise in the other side of the room, Vexen giving a small huff as he marched off to wherever that sound was. The odd coating in my throat began to spread not long after he left, the tingling sensation moving to my skull.

There was a sharp spike of pain and then-

 _What the crab monkeys is-? Oh dear god..._ Everything that had happened to me came rushing back at once: the talk with Marluxia, meeting Vexen, arguing in the kitchen with Axel, and running from Lexaeus and Xaldin when I had trouble breathing… and the realization that I was now currently being experimented on.  _How long have I been in here?_

…

To say that Xaldin was "worried" be an understatement. First was Maria's distress over Zexion's and Demyx's accusation that Irene was her sister, then Axel's outburst and anger brought on as by Irene, and then Irene's sudden panic. Not to mention the obvious factor that Irene had summoned a portal... A fully functional portal of  _Light_. He had never seen one before, and given the girl's reluctance to believe herself capable of magic let alone to actually be a Keeper, the fact that she had managed to produce a Portal was remarkable.

However, it was her distress that lead her to that that "worried" him.

Xaldin was very much aware of the fact that the longer the Keepers were separated, the more their health declined. And if the accusations of their relations were true, then they were apart for thirteen  _years_. It's a wonder they were both moving around as they were, but for the child to befall such distress, and so suddenly? It made Xaldin fear for the little one; or at least, he believed it to be the memory of fear. He would not goad himself into believing false feelings, but he knew the memory of the emotion. And he knew what that feeling had brought him to do in the past.

It was that feeling that led the Whirlwind Lancer into action. Knowing that Zexion would undoubtedly sense the overwhelming presence of light and seek to investigate; he set himself to his own charge. If the Light Keeper were to suddenly befall a pain such as that, there was no telling what would happen to their other guest. And that is what led him to the door of the Organizations very own Number VIII.

Stepping up to the door with brisk, precise movements, Xaldin raised his fist to rap his knuckles across the hard surface.

"Get off of me!" Came the sharp cry from the other side of the door, making the Violet eyed warrior halt in his movement. Shoulders drawn taught and gaze narrowing to a sharp glare, he shoved the door open roughly, lance in hand as a harsh wind blew through the room- ready to destroy whatever assailant dared tred within the castle walls to harm his charge.

The sight that greeted him, however, was not the battle that he had expected.

In the middle of the room stood Axel, arms wrapped around a struggling Maria, his chest pressed to her back as he held her to him. One hand gripping onto her flaming forearm as she struggled to get loose, Maria's normally hazel-colored eyes tinged with red.

Concern and determination were replaced by anger and frustration as Xaldin strode forward, grabbing Axel roughly by the back of his coat before yanking him away from Maria. Lifting him up until the redhead was barely able to keep his feet on the ground, he tossed him roughly out of the room with a slight yelp from Axel. He took a moment to compose himself before turning his steely gaze back to the freckled beauty, looking over her slightly ragged appearance as he stepped forward.

"Are you hurt?" Xaldin asked, being sure to keep his tone even.

Maria sent him a sharp look as she adjusted her clothes, making a face of annoyance. "I'm fine."

"If that is the case, would you care to tell me why you two were fighting?"

"Axel wouldn't let me leave."

"You cannot-" Xaldin began, only to be cut off by a very angry fire starter as Axel stormed back in, shoving Xaldin slightly to the side in agitation.

"I told you, you're not allowed to walk off on your own!" He snapped, green eyes gleaming in restrained fury.

"And  _I_  told you I don't give a damn! I'll come back!"

"It doesn't matter; you can't leave the castle!"

"I'm a grown ass woman. I can do whatever the hell I want."

"You're asking for a fight, kid."

"You're asking to get burned."

"You think you can burn hotter than me? I'll show you who can burn."

"Bring it."

"Fucking little-"

" _Enough!_ " Xaldin roared, a sharp fierce wind shoving both the fire bringers back as he growled low in his throat, mumbling a tired " _Insufferable_ " as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a deep breath to calm himself before looking at them. The two reminding him of how he- of how  _Dilan_  used to scold Lea and Isa long ago for such antics. "Maria, why are you trying to leave?"

She huffed, crossing her arms with a scowl, "As I tried to tell Axel, if I'm going to stay here there are things I need. I was going to come back."

"I told you-" cut in the redhead with a sharp retort.

"Axel." Xaldin warned, his tone leaving no room for argument.

With a scoff, Axel turned his green gaze to the wall, arms folded behind his head and fingers entwined, "Whatever."

Turning his sharp gaze back on their ward, Xaldin inclined to her again, "What is it that you need?"

Hazel eyes turned to stare up into Violet, the intensity in that gaze holding firm before softening. Moving to train her gaze on something beyond him, "I needed clothes. The ones you gave me don't fit." She commented before fixing a soft glare at Axel, "If you had bothered to ask, you would have realized I wanted to go shopping."

Axel's brow twitched before he turned to stare at her, "How the hell was I supposed to know that?"

"Simple. Ask questions instead of jumping to high strung conclusions."

With a frown, Axel just stared at her, hands curled into soft fists at his sides. His voice was even as he spoke, a realization more to himself than the other, "You know, I'm not sure if you've got guts or if you're just reckless."

"I hardly think it matters."

Xaldin simply shook his head. The two go from fighting over  _nothing_  to having a strange sort of calm between them. He was correct in his earlier statement; they were going to be insufferable together, "Axel is correct. You cannot wander without a guard."

"I'm going, so you can either follow or get over it."

"I did not say we would not follow." replied Xaldin firmly, his gaze fixed now on Number VIII, "As it seems Axel is more prone to argue with you then be a firm companion, I fear I have no other option but to accompany you."

"Hey!" Axel snapped, offended, "I can watch her just fine."

"It would appear otherwise."

"Man oh man, ye of little faith."

"As I am sure you are well aware, you have yet to give me cause to have faith in you."

"That's harsh."

"Can we get back to the matter at hand, please?" Maria interrupted, rolling her eyes at the stares that got cast her way, "Are we leaving or not? Because I'm going. So?"

Axel and Xaldin exchanged glances for a moment before the Whirlwind Lancer allowed his spear to vanish. Sighing as Axel shrugged his shoulders, Xaldin resigned himself to his fate, "I suppose we have no other choice."

"Don't say it like it's a death sentence."

Axel shrugged, putting his hands on his hips, "Could be worse. Any place you have in mind?"

"Where ever that stupid Mouse isn't."

Axel and Xaldin exchanged glances. Axel lifted one shoulder in a half shrug as, pulling a sigh from the Organization's Number III. Pulling himself up to stand at his full height, a sense of regal power flowing from him, he made a decision, "Follow me."

...

For a minute, I laid there unmoving as I processed all that was happening to me. I was finally able to make sense of the conversation Zexion and Vexen were having earlier, though knowing just made me more concerned than I already was.  _A… Am I dying? What's happening to me? What's going on!?_

The beeping on the heart-rate monitor got louder with each passing second, my heart beating faster and faster as I became more panicked. I looked around me, taking note of just  _how many_ wires there were connected to my arms, liquids of all different colors being injected into my body. "Wh-What are you  _doing_ to me?" I choked, suddenly very scared compared to the odd calm I had been feeling earlier. "What's happening!?"

Zexion said something about my trachea and bronchial tubes earlier… but that didn't really explain what he was  _doing_ to me. All that did was explain what was wrong with me. Lexaeus didn't answer my question, merely closing his eyes when I started to freak out, and Zexion ignored me to continue typing. I didn't dare move despite the binds having been removed, too many wires and needles in my arms to risk aggravating.

"Wh-What's going on!? L-Lex-" I was never able to finish my sentence, cut off by loud body-wracking coughs. Through the coughs I was left wheezing, chest heaving up and down as my heart thudded inside my chest, struggling to keep beating. I tried to calm down, squeezing my eyes and shut and attempted to breathe in through my nose and out my mouth, but it was exceedingly difficult.

_It hurts… e-everything hurts…_

I'm scared. I'm so scared…

_I don't want to die._

I tried to keep the coughs and the tears at bay, strangling a painful sob deep in my throat and curling my hands into fists. Sirens rang in my ears, temporarily deafening me and silencing all sound around me except for that of my own heartbeat. A fire slowly spread throughout my veins, following the path the liquid had taken after it had been injected into my arm, but instead of tingling it began to  _burn_.

Hot, acidic-like fire encasing the inside of my body, intense and inescapable. Bright, blinding red coated my vision and there was a scream- a terrified shriek ripping out of my throat as I began to thrash, scared and frightened and in pain. Needles tore at my arms, blood trickling along my flesh, and a pair of hands pushed down on my shoulders- forcefully holding me down.

The pain was so great I couldn't even hear my own scream anymore- I didn't even know what I was doing after being forced onto my back. There was red, and white, and black, and then I was standing on a partially-fractured platform, too dazed to make out the figures sleeping in the art of the mosaic glass ground. I wasn't in the lab anymore; I had no idea where I was. I hadn't any idea how I got there, either. My legs soon gave out before me, leaving me to collapse on the glass floor.

I didn't have the strength to move, just laying on the ground on my front with halfway closed eyes. Weak, aching, and feeling like I had been destroyed from the inside out. My own heart struggled to keep beating.

 _"You can't be here…"_ A female voice murmured, filled with concern.

 _"No, not yet. You aren't strong enough!"_ The voice sounded panicked, male and utterly distraught.

The next voice was rougher than the previous two, also male, and was filled with anger and disbelief.  _"We're fracturing… This can't be! What the hell is happening outside!?"_

The last voice sounded younger than most of them, but was calm and soothing as the boy murmured softly,  _"Quiet now... let her sleep. The girl has barely just awoken to her powers; now she's having all sorts of elixirs being pumped through her veins. Her body can't handle the overdose of magic being forced into her. She needs silence to fight through the corruption; she can't mend the fractures with all this chaos! We need to remain calm, peaceful..."_ Adorned in a white robe, decorated with pale blue flowers, the young man knelt down and smiled, resting a hand gently atop my immobile head.  _"Isn't that right... Irene?"_

I could give no answer, nor muster even the slightest nod to show I heard. I wasn't even certain I  _had_ heard anything- the voices were rushed, mixed together, and then there was a gentle breeze. A cooling sort of warmth, countering the fire that burned inside my body. Slowly, my eyes closed... and I was left to drown in endless black.


	10. The Darkness in Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of which accessories are bought and Maria risks her life.

It was odd, being in another's corridor. True, it was darkness, but it wasn't  _true_  darkness. Of that, Maria was sure. Her corridors were of the blackest black. The real epitome of what the dark should be. Darkness was hers after all, and yet here they were walking through a dark corridor created by  _Xaldin_. That alone was making her question her slowly settling trust in the man, and even with that his corridor was  _lacking_  somehow. That was what set her on edge. As they exited, they came to a large brickwork town with soft lights and constant night sky.

Xaldin stepped forward, arm outstretched as he gestured to the cobblestone streets before them, "Welcome to Traverse Town."

Axel stepped forward, hands clasped behind his head as he observed the area. "Doesn't seem like much."

"That is what will make this trip end more quickly." Xaldin replied easily before turning back to Maria. His violet eyes met her skeptical gaze as he said, "Lead the way. We will follow."

With a huff, she walked off toward on the shops, arms crossed defiantly. "You almost make it sound like a chore."

"It is not something that I would normally spend my time doing. Especially so, given the Superior has no knowledge of it."

"You mean this "Xemnas" guy?"

Xaldin's sharp gaze cut to Axel in disapproval, his scowl deepening given that it was the redhead's fault she knew their leader's name at all and that Axel was pointedly ignoring him. "That is correct."

"Hell of a name," she mused, "It's almost like he wants to be made fun of."

"I would not deem it wise."

"Oh, relax, would ya?" Axel chimed, the bored tone obvious, "Let's just get what we need and go."

With a roll of her eyes, Maria walked forward, gazing through the window at one of the shops. She mildly heard the two bickering in the background, choosing to ignore their quabling. She looked about the garments through the window, her eyes focusing on a red sash before a tightness pulled at her chest; quick, sharp, and pulling their breath straight out of her. She clutched tightly at her chest, gasping for breath quietly while trying not to move as to not alert her 'guards' to the pain.

She focused on pulling air into her lungs, shuddering lightly from the sheer force it took to do so. Willing herself to relax, she moved to head into the shop, brushing her free hand against her pocket where a pendant would normally be.  _The pain shouldn't be back yet... It should be kept in check. At least for awhile._

"Maria, you okay?" Axel asked as he stepped up beside her, brows raised slightly.

"Yeah, just checking out the scarves." She said, trying to distract herself from her momentary tenseness as she looked back at the deep red item in question.

"You realize it's warm out. Right?" The redhead questioned, staring at her oddly.

"I'm a fan of a dramatic statement."

A small smirk formed on his lips as he argued playfully, "I think you just like layers."

"Whatever would give you  _that i_ dea?" She asked, voice laced with sarcasm.

"You're pale, for one."

"Wow. Never thought you were one for compliments."

"I wouldn't exactly say that."

"You didn't not say it." Maria responded as she put her hands on her hips.

"Cute."

"Why, Number VIII. You'll make a girl blush like that." She said with a wide smile, pretending to fan her face.

He smirked, hands on his hips, "Oh, now you're just being an ass." He commented playfully.

"If you two are quite finished." Xaldin interrupted with a sigh. Maria was pretty sure she heard him say " _insufferable"_ again but decided not to bring it up. "We are here for a reason. Shall we?" He asked, gesturing towards the shop. With a shrug, Axel walked inside, followed by Maria and the stern towering Xaldin, and the group began their mission. Shopping.

They gandered about for sometime. Maria wandering the shops, getting what she needed and avoiding the rest. She came across an accessory shop, heading inside to look around, nodding towards the shopkeeper in greeting.

"Hey, lass. Feel free ta look around. We've got the finest gear in town." The man called with a grin, a toothpick hanging from his mouth and his blonde hair pulled back by a thick pair of goggles.

"Stunning collection." She commented as Xaldin and Axel entered, looking over some of the bangles.

The man looked them over, hands on his hips as he spoke. His voice gruff yet casual, "Ya'll new to town?"

"You could say that." Axel responded easily.

"Huh." He took the toothpick from his mouth, grinning, "Team's always fond of newcomers. Name's Cid. Ya ever need gear, better come to me. Ya hear?"

Maria looked him over from under her lashes, smiling politely. "Alright. I'm Maria." She introduced before standing up straight, "The silent giant there is Xaldin. And hotshot over there," she nodded towards the redhead, "is Axel."

"Nice to meet ya."

Eyes full of amusement, she turned back to the bangles, going to pick one up before a long, slim fingered hand appeared in her line of vision. A silver armlet held between the slender fingers, Axel's crisp voice spoke. His tone was softer than usual as he said, "This one."

Glancing over the trinket, she noticed the armlet was meant to protect against blizzard and ice based spells. Perfect for someone with a fire affinity like herself. As she took the armlet, she trained her hazel eyes on Axel, gazing at her green eyed companion with a mixture of curiosity and gratitude. "Thank you."

Crossing his arms, Axel nodded, looking away from the woman as though he wasn't sure what made him do that. Her gaze stayed fixed on him for another long moment before she returned her focus to the trinkets in Cid's cleverly displayed case. The light from the window caught a particular item, gleaming off a chaos ring. Xaldin observed as she picked it up, noting that the particular item would help increase one's resistance to darkness.

He gazed at her, tone inquisitive as he spoke, "For the other?"

"Yeah." She responded with a nod, twirling the item in her hand. "That kid's gonna get herself killed surrounded by so much darkness. It's a wonder she hasn't already hurt herself."

With that said, Xaldin's eyes cast over to the other Nobody, "worry" evident in his gaze. Realization washed over Axel's face as the gravity of those words sank in. Acidic green washed over Maria's form, the smallest memory of concern flooding his mind as he took everything in. Her closed off stance, the taut pull of her hunched shoulders, the tenseness of her arms, and the worried furrow set between her brows.

Thinking back, Axel recalled how Maria had been slowing down quite a bit during their outing. Occasionally he saw her clutch at her chest when she thought no one was looking. The soft flutter of lashes as she seemed to struggle to get a quick breath, and the minute twitch of her jaw as she clenched her teeth. All of her brash actions and easy arguments. She was distracting herself and everyone around her. She was in pain.

Maria was in pain because something was wrong with Irene. And their separation only made them worse.

Axel understood their link to a point, but Irene always seemed to be failing in her health while Maria showed only minor symptoms. The question was, why? Why did Irene suffer so much while Maria stood passively by with only minor struggles? Pride and sheer force of will were one thing, but this… this was different entirely. Was it her affinity for magic? The sheer burning defiance so prominent in her very being? Or was it Irene's supposed affinity for healing, yet unable to access that very magic she so desperately needed?

He stepped up to Xaldin as Maria paid for the items, pulling him aside for a moment, "You see it too, don't you? She's not okay."

"Irene was in distress earlier." Xaldin informed him, eyes stern as he played through the information in his mind, "It is why I came looking for Maria."

"And why you rushed in when she screamed." He realized, eyes wide, mind flashing back to his argument with Irene before his expression quickly hardened into something unreadable, his eyes narrowing darkly as he demanded, "Define  _distress_."

"Enough for her to run off and form a portal before vanishing."

"That's not possible." Hissed Axel, knowing full well that one could not create a corridor without proper experience in magic.

"You know," chimed Maria's soft voice as she stepped up behind them, "it's not nice to whisper when there are others in the room."

"Maria." Xaldin moved to look down at her, "I take it you are finished?"

"By finished, if you mean shopping, then yes. If you mean trying to find out what you two are plotting, then no. I tend to be fairly curious." She stated as she crossed her arms, ignoring how Xaldin's violet gaze focused on how her hands tightly gripped her forearms. As if trying to cause a new pain to block out a different one.

With a hum, he nodded, "Shall we depart, then?"

Axel folded his hands behind his head again, looking off to the side, "We should probably head back soon if we don't wanna get dusked."

Curiously, Maria looked Axel over. Trying to decipher the exact meaning of those words. She had her theories, but theories were for another day. Digging her fingers deeper into the muscles of her biceps, distracting herself with the sharp sting of it, she exited the shop. The brisk pace she set soon faltered as the tightness in her chest surged again, sucking the air from her lungs and causing her to fault in her steps. And as quick as it happened Axel was there, one arm snaked through hers as an anchor. Sturdy enough to support her if she needed it, but easy enough to break loose if she decided to.

Axel pulled gently, guiding her to stand up straight, "You good?"

"Peachy." She rasped, looking anywhere but at her tall companion.

"I'd say you're more auburn than peach, but if that's what you want to go with." He snarked, a small smirk trying to force itself on his lips.

"Ha ha." She mocked, taking in a slow breath, lungs protesting at having to expand after having constricted so much before. A shudder wracked through her before Xaldin's sharp voice saying her name snapped her back to her surroundings. She glanced over to their silent guard, seeing his gaze focused on something quite a bit in front of them. Turning to see what was offending him so, she saw a yellow dog bounding towards them.

"Why the hell is there a dog here?" Axel asked as the canine rushed at them, stopping to spin in a circle before jumping at them, promptly colliding with Axel and sending him crashing down onto his backside, golden paws pressed firmly to his chest as it licked his face before jumping off and running around in circles.

Maria stared in apparent shock for a long moment at the scene in front of her before a large smile broke across her features. A warm laugh escaping her; something true and genuine for the first time in  _ages_  easing the tension and pain in her chest, and she was left clutching at her side as she leaned over to try and ease her laughter.

Xaldin was taken back by the sudden outburst, not having expected something quite like that to come from the normally angry girl. The sound was almost nostalgic to him; seeing her and Axel much like how Lea and Isa used to be. How Isa would get himself into trouble and Isa would knowingly follow along, laughing at his friend's misfortune with such lighthearted ferver.

He imagined that, if he still had it, his heart would hurt at the memory. Of all that was lost. But in that moment, the Lancer couldn't bring himself to be melancholy. He watched as Axel grumbled and yelled at Maria for laughing instead of helping, the dog running circles around them as if a game. Compared to the constant stress of the castle, this was complete peace.

"Calm down, hotshot." Maria managed to get out through her laughter, still suppression light giggles as she stepped up to help him, arm extended, "Come on. Up." she stated before, just as Axel was about to grab her outstretched hand, the golden dog ran up and jumped into her arms. It's black talons wracking across the exposed flesh of her forearms, earning a sharp hiss from her in the process. The dog's ears perked at the sound of distress before flattening, jumping down and moving in a small circle before taking a seat in front of her. A soft whine of apology rumbling in its slim chest.

"Maria." Xaldin called as he stepped up to her, quickly taking one bleeding arm into his hands, his eyes widening at seeing how badly the cuts were bleeding.

"Geez, is he made of knives or something?" Axel asked as he pushed himself to his feet, glaring and waving at the canine, "Shoo. Go on, get out of here!"

"Axel!" Maria snapped, glaring at him.

"What? You're bleeding. How bad did he get you?" He asked as he moved to see beyond Xaldin's expertly moving hands. The man in question having pulled a cloth from his coat, trying to clean off the blood, "Holy shit, it just keeps bleeding."

"Of course it is. I'm anemic."

"Excuse me?" Axel blinked.

"Anemic. My blood is thinner in a way. Low Iron and all that jazz." She winced when Xaldin pressed down particularly hard on the cut, "From what I've gathered, it's my  _gift_  from being separated. Fatigue, headaches. And sometimes my blood doesn't clot. It just keeps going."

"In other words?"

"In other words, she could die if left untreated." Xaldin clarified, taking off his glove and ripping the garment into strips of fabric, wrapping it around her arm and tying it off tightly. Maria knew the fatigue was coming long before she felt it. Preparing for the sudden dizziness by grabbing onto Xaldin's arm was easy. What was far more difficult, however, was to stay standing from the sudden burning in her chest and head.

Taking her completely by surprise as all the air seemed to leave her at once, unable to even try to gasp as she faltered, the strong hands gripping her shoulders and the slender arm wrapped around her waist were the only things keeping her standing. The pain was immediate- the sheer burning will of it all. It wasn't a normal burn, no. She knew what a true burn was. But this? This was something else entirely. Something bright and gleaming, trying to blare it's way to life in a last ditch effort to thrive before it's snuffed out.

Black coated her vision briefly, the ringing in her ears she hadn't noticed was there slowly fading as she took a sharp, agonizing breath. Her vision clearing to the sight of Xaldin staring her down, shaking her shoulders roughly, his lips moving on silent words against the buzzing of her ears.

 _It's too soon. I shouldn't be dropping yet._ The thoughts came to her quickly as she tried to gasp through another breath.  _The pendant. The connection. I shouldn't drop yet._

"-ia!" called a muffled voice. She shut her eyes, ignoring the sharp pressure against her shoulders. Her muscles protesting at the pain of it.

_It's dark there. Everything is dark. They thrive in the darkness, so why am I…?_

"-aria! Look at me!" called the stern voice again, the pressure on her shoulders beyond bruising now.

"Damn it, open your eyes kid!" Called another voice, much more crisp than the other. Cinnamon and mountain air swirling around her senses as her thoughts swam through her mind through the blinding pain in her head.

 _Kid?_ Came the sudden word, images of short cropped dark hair and wide honey gold eyes flashing through her mind.  _Irene._

" _Look_  at me!"

Maria's eyes shot open wide, brief flickers of red flooding the hazel irises before she leaned forward, coughing hoarsely as her lungs fought for oxygen. Rough, hacking bursts as Xaldin held her upright, keeping her on her feet.

"Maria-!"

"-Fine!" she rasped, taking a few more shuddering breaths as she shakily moved her hands to grasp Xaldin's upper arms. Grounding herself, "I-I'm fine. But we have to go."

"No way, not until you explain what just happened." Axel snapped, clearly angry, "You all of a sudden collapse and start shaking like Xaldin's got you in a hurricane! Why?"

"There's no time. She's not…" She tried as she fully body shudder wracked through her. The blinding pain in her head causing spots to dance at the edge of her vision.

Given Xaldin's expression, she assumed he must have understood what she was referring to. In one swift movement, he had Maria turned and pressed into his side, one arm supporting around her waist and the other tucked under her knees. Her good arm slung over his shoulders as he lifted her, "Axel. Open the portal."

"You can't just-!"

" _Axel._ "

That made the redhead flinch. The fearful eyes of that young boy flashing in his green eyes before he snapped his fingers, the dark corridor swirling into being before them, a sad realization darkening his usually charismatic features, "It's the kid. Isn't it?"

"Let us pray we are not too late to be of aide." Xaldin confirmed before striding through the portal briskly. A faltering Maria held in tow with Axel falling close behind.

The dog let out a long whine as the portal closed behind the three black clad strangers. His sad howl left only to be heard by the wind.

…

Pausing before Lexaeus retracted his hands, he waited for any other sign of movement. The Keeper of Light had been responding well to the elixirs and potions for a brief time, her memory quickly returning after the damage to her main neural system had been repaired. It was surprising she was able to remember his and Zexion's names so quick, especially since the young scientist hadn't even injected the modified elixir into her body yet.

She had seemed so pleased with herself, staring at the scientist with a smile so bright one would not have believed her to be in such intense pain. Not much longer had her memory fully returned that the elixir began to work on the rest of her organs, trying to mend the immediate damage while Vexen continued to work with Zexion's research on how to handle the more difficult, detailed pieces of her illness, that she had begun to react violently. Irene began to thrash, trying to kick her legs despite the bindings on her ankles, and screaming as loud as her lungs would allow.

Lexaeus had to hold her down when the needles Zexion had placed in her arms began to tug and pull at her flesh, blood trickling down her skin. The whole reason Lexaeus was there at all was in case she reacted like this, the child being the subject of a new experiment with untold results. Zexion and Vexen were not very physically strong, so they needed someone they trusted there who was in case something went wrong. And, unfortunately, it seemed something did.

When Irene went completely limp, her eyes closing as she hit unconscious, Zexion stopped typing and automatically went to fix the wires and needles, irritation clear on his face even if it did not show in his eyes. Grabbing the flashlight from before, he moved over to the unconscious teen and forcefully opened her eyes one at a time, checking for any abnormalities.

The beeping on the monitor was loud and rapid, her breathing shallow and weak. Scowling, the scientist unplugged a few machines before heading over to a shelf stocked full of different colored concoctions, taking out a few bottles and getting to work mixing them together. Lexaeus watched Zexion briefly before redirecting his attention to the girl, wondering if she would survive.

She was certainly odd, but compared to many members of the organization she was easier to predict. Fairly polite, awkward, easily frightened… and kind. Why one would continue to be so nice to their captors he did not understand, but he assumed it had something to do with her being that of light. Those with that affinity did tend to have purer hearts than those affiliated with darkness, but while that is so it could simply be her character. For while one could be affiliated with darkness or light, if they were exposed to too much it would drown that person…

Her light shouldn't have any effect on her personality. It was a curious thing indeed, but not one Lexaeus felt should be examined.  _She has quite the short attention span as well._

He was interrupted from his recollection of the Saix encounter when Zexion moved back over, removing the oxygen mask from Irene's face and lifting her head up slightly, pouring the new concoction he had made into her mouth. "Humans are so weak," The scientist muttered under his breath, just loud enough to be heard by the giant, "if she dies now after surviving for so long in her condition there shouldn't even be a purpose for Keepers. Her fight for survival would have been completely pointless."

"What's happening to her?" Lexaeus asked, wanting the full explanation as to what was wrong.

Setting the bottle down on the metal tray table beside him, Zexion ran his fingers down the girl's throat to get her to swallow the liquid. "The elixirs were so her magic would be restored, but her light is completely out of balance… I gave her a concoction to battle the darkness, though only temporarily, to try and give her light time to fix itself."

When he was satisfied that the concoction had been taken in, he laid her head back down and stepped away, pulling his gloves off and pinching his nose with a grimace. Though Lexaeus' face showed nothing, he stared at Zexion with the memory of curiosity.

Seeing his gaze, Zexion turned away and muttered, "Light is already a displeasing smell, but a being of full light's heart being out of balance is even more disgusting a stench." The scientist has had a headache for the last five minutes because of it. If he didn't find her so interesting a study, he would have most likely let her die by now.

…

The fractures… the cracks in the glass…

_It hurts…_

Everything is breaking and it hurts…

_I don't want to die._

...

To say Xaldin was concerned might be considered a gross over exaggeration given their "emotionless" state. However, he was well acquainted with how the emotion  _should_  feel. And that allowed him to worry. Greatly. He felt the brunette squirming long before she voiced her complaints. The red of her downturned eyes speckling the hazel orbs, swirling in their depths as Maria lost herself to her thoughts. It was unnerving.

As Xaldin exited the portal, taking brisk steps into the elder Keeper's room, Maria had decided she had had enough.

"Okay, fuck this. Put me down  _now_." She snapped, pushing roughly against the Lancer until he let her legs gently fall to touch the floor. He noticed with distaste how her brows pinched the moment she stood on her own; the sharp, nearly silent inhale, the clenching of her jaw from the effort of it. There and gone in a flash as though it had never happened. It made him wonder just how much pain she must have endured to be able to hide it so well.

"I will go and find Irene. Axel will stay with you until I return." Promised Xaldin, keeping his tone steady as he gently gripped her shoulders, "Please do not do anything rash."

"I think you're overestimating my abilities right now." Maria stated, shifting a bit to hide her damaged arm behind her. The skin on her other hand had tinted red from their trying to staunch the flow of blood before.

With a frown, Xaldin stepped back, sharp gaze switching to Axel, "Do not leave her side."

"Wasn't planning on it." came Axel's curt response, hands curled into loose fists at his sides. With that, Xaldin left in search of the Light Keeper, his echoing footsteps the only reminder of Number III's departure before Maria abruptly turned and began ransacking her room in a desperate search for something.

Blinking at the sudden movement, Axel moved over to her, yelling, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Looking for something that will help." was Maria's muttered reply, more to herself than the other as she dropped to her knees, reaching under the bed in a blind search. Rough fabric slid along her palm, prompting her to dig around in it until she was able to slip her hand into the pocket of her discard breaches from Port Royal. Fingers clasped against the cool smooth surface of something metal before a rough hand gripped her arm; yanking her back and up to her feet with a slight hiss.

"Talk to me, damn it. What are you looking for?" He snapped, green eyes sharp and searching.

She shoved his chest roughly, getting a bit of distance between them before she held up her hand, a pewter colored diamond shaped pendant held aloft between her fingers.

"This," she began with a slow inhale, eyes moving up to catch Axel's stare as she continued, "will help her. If we can get her stable, this will help to keep out the pain."

"How is a pin going to do that?"

"Easily. It's what I used when I started training with the mouse." She scoffed a bit, tucking the pin into her pocket. "Come on. We need to get to that Book wielder."

"Zexion? Why him?"

"Because," she said as she wrinkled her nose a bit, "I can feel her light. And he's near it."

"So if we find Zexion we'll find Irene." He breathed, eyes widening at the idea of it, "Xaldin would have went to find Demyx first."

"Which is why we can't wait for him to get back. Where would," she paused on the name, not having used it as of yet, " _Zexion_  be?"

"With Vexen. The lab."

"Lead the way." She ordered, shoulders tensing at a particularly sharp jolt in her chest.

"Can you keep up?" He questioned, brows furrowed.

"Not much of a choice."

"Right. Stay with me." Axel turned towards the door, not looking back, "I doubt you want me to carry you."

"I'm sure you'll survive." She retorted, quickly following as the redhead ran off, his coat billowing behind him as Maria followed close behind. Irene was in trouble.

Who knew how much time she had left?

…

Lexaeus stood there in silence, eyes closed as he listened to the beating of the heart monitor. With every minute that passed it seemed to grow slower, the beeping spreading out between intervals. It had been a long time since the laboratory had been under such stress, the atmosphere heavy with the impending death of the Light Keeper weighing upon them. There was nothing they could do to help the unconscious girl with her light- it was a battle she would have to fight on her own.

All they could do was sit and wait in the quiet, watching and wondering if the girl would succumb to the weakness of her heart or if she would pull through. She survived this long with such a deadly illness, separated and cursed with inevitable death if the reunion with her other half never happened. Despite her appearance and attitude towards all that has been thrown at her so far, she had quite the willpower and strength of heart to actually survive for so long.

Perhaps that's why she was so friendly towards the majority of the members- she refused to give in to her fear. Admirable, but also rather foolish.  _She hesitates constantly, but makes herself move forward. If she was able to speak up to Axel, whom had frightened her since the first meeting, and lived this long… she should be able to pull through this obstacle as well._

An irritable sigh pulled the silent giant out of his contemplation, his eyes opening to gaze at the annoyed mad scientist that was making his way towards Zexion, a vial in his right hand. "Honestly, I can't believe this child! I can't even prod her a little when she's this broken. What makes you believe  _this_ could fix her?"

Cold azure eyes turned to stare up at the older man, slate blue hair falling into the visible side of his face as his expression went blank. "What makes you think it won't, Four? If we can remedy the effects the separation has called, then the percentage of her correcting the imbalance and awakening rises."

"But if it  _fails_  her heart will completely shatter! I-"

"Vexen." The mad scientist froze upon hearing the iron voice, standing straight and scowling up at Lexaeus, meeting his gaze. "Is it done?"

"Is it- who do you take me for!? Of course it's finished! All we need is for  _this_ arrogant child to input it into that  _broken_ one!" He gestured in an irritable nod towards Zexion, who raised an eyebrow at him, and pointed at Irene's pale form on the lab table.

Zexion took the vial, observing it with an inquiring gaze, before smartly retorting to Vexen with the most polite of tones, "If you ever acted as though you deserved respect, perhaps I  _would_ show it to you… eventually."

Promptly ignoring Vexen as the mad scientist fumed, Zexion headed over to the side of the room where more medical equipment was stored, opening an I.V and pouring in the liquid. It was only when he had returned to the lab table where Irene was resting, pressing down to find a strong vein, and slid the needle in that the lab door was suddenly thrust open. The pair of fire starters bursting in with panting breaths, the girl more so than the boy.

"What happened?" Maria demanded with a sharp glare around the room before rushing up to Irene on the opposite side of Zexion, "Kid, you better not fucking die."

Axel came up beside her, looking over Irene's unconscious form before looking over the three higher ranked members, eyes focusing on Vexen. "What have you done to her?"

"Me?" Vexen crowed incredulously, "I have done nothing but try to  _aid_  her, you pompous child. We are trying to save her life!"

"A shit job you're doing of it! She's practically dead!"

"Like you would understand the intricacies of science and medicine. Give it time to work!"

"I'll show you what works." Axel growled lowly.

Maria ignored them, hands coming to grip Irene's shoulders loosely as she looked her over, eyes roaming over the IV's and small splotches of blood from pulled needles. Her eyes roamed everywhere, searching, feeling for something. For a source. And that's when she felt it, or rather, felt the  _lack_  of it. Irene's light was not as it should be. Bright, fierce, blinding like the sun. It was weak, barely burning. Smothered out by the ashes of fire threatening to keep it at bay. That same smothering force filling her with pain and crushing her heart.

"If you die on me, I'm going to be so pissed at you." She muttered quietly to herself as she pulled the pendant out from her pocket, clasping it to the front of Irene's shirt, just over where her heart should be. Hoping the pendant's spell would help alleviate some of the pain for her before she moved to the head of the table. Standing behind where Irene's head rested on the table, Maria knelt down onto her knees; hands clasped loosely to the young girl's temples, moving to press her forehead to the crown of the sickly one's head. Eyes closed tightly.

Zexion watched the scene unfold silently, Vexen and Axel's argument left in the back of his mind as he watched the Keeper of Darkness at work. It was no secret that the Dark Keeper had no care for her other. Irene's death, while unfortunate as it may have been, would not affect Maria as much as one would think. Yes, he knew she would get weaker at being separated yet again from the light, but she would live.

She would hone the dark she possessed and they would find the new Light Keeper. Simple really. It was only logical. And yet, here she was, trying with all she had to help bring the fragile girl back to the world. One so distant and angry standing out on the edge in hopes to pull another back to solid ground, even if that meant toppling over the edge herself. That was what surprised him the most.

With keen interest, he watched her lips move in silent words. Red and black swirling around her thin arms as darkness pooled at her feet, almost as if grounding her. A deep sigh left her lips before all movement with her stopped. The only thing still showing her wakeful being the very darkness swirling beneath her.

It was that very stillness that told him everything he needed to know.

Maria had dove into Irene's heart.

…

It was easy, the fall. To fall into your mind and all it holds. Falling into another's mind?

Now that was so incredibly difficult.

The light of Irene's heart, as weak and feeble as it currently was, knew better than to willingly allow darkness here. Especially since Maria's heart was pure darkness. Everything that damn mouse had tried to teach her fell short when actually faced with the light before her. It pushed at her through the fall, tryin to slow her descent onto the platform; as if falling through mud. Everything was sluggish and heavy, almost as though there was something else pushing back the dark; trying to fight off the black that was Maria's very being.

With wavering steps, she touched down on the platform, a subtle vision of soft forest green within the checker rimmed circle entering her vision. Sharp, jagged cracks ran the length of one side, black cascading lines marring the face of a young boy. The posture and mop of blonde hair easily recognizable now that he had snuck his way onto Maria's own platform.

"That fucker. So he's in my heart because of you." She muttered through the haze, a heavy weight making her movements feel leaden as she stepped away from the center of the platform. She took note how, where the semblance of "home" would normally backdrop their platform, there was a stark emptiness instead. A pale, hollow teal swallowing that empty space with a sad essence. Frowning, she let her gaze move around, finding the sharp distinction of Irene's own self on the opposite side of the platform. A frail painted hand pressed tenderly to her chest as though hurt. It was then that she saw Irene. The  _real_  Irene, curled atop the image of herself.

Maria rushed forward as best she could, letting the pressure of the platform force her to her knees once in front of the small child. Hands hovering over the sleeping form but knowing better than touch given her current state.

"Come on, kid. You've gotta give me something here." she rasped, her lungs feeling constricted in the ever present home of Light. With a shudder, she realized that, just at the edges of her vision, were silken white forms. Almost see through in appearance, like wisps or ghosts. Always lingering on the edge of her vision but never in her direct line of sight, no matter how she turned.

"The previous." she whispered as she forced herself to her feet, staggering a bit from the sheer force of it. Her hands shook lightly, eyes flowing about the platform as she took note of the softly wisping tendrils of darkness that crept near the cracks and over the edges of the platform. Threatening to overflow and devour it whole should that chance arise.

Hazel eyes hardened in steely resolve, red tinting the edges of her irises as she lifted her hands. Arms outstretched in a stance of pure control as black flooded the whites of her eyes.

"Darkness is mine to control." She began, feeling the wisps fleeting around her as pure dark power flowed through her. Like calling to like. Black to black. Hollow to hollow. This was her essence, her being, and nothing else could take that from her. "You have no place here. Time to return to the nothing." She hissed as she turned her downturned palms up towards the sky, curling her fingers into fists as she brought her arms towards her in a slow pull. As if the very movement was a struggle. Pulling a weight far greater than what she should be able, sweat darting her brow.

The darkness shifted for a moment, as if fighting against her. Shifting jerkily before heading her call, slowly slithering towards her before jutting out at full force. Crashing around her with the full power of it as it smothered her in its grip. The black cloaking her in its obsidian hold. Choking the life out of any who were not worthy of its blessing.

But she was. It was hers after all.  _Like calls to like_ , she thought, pulling her hands in close to her chest, eyes closing softly,  _it belongs to me. And we should hold no power here._

Shifting, molding around her in a swirling typhoon, the darkness shot up to the sky, shaking it's jagged edges before halting. Stilling into nothingness, a perfect onyx sculpture breaching the sky with its towering peak. A monument. But not one meant to last. One by one, cracks and chips formed along its ashen planes. The monolith collapsing in on itself, and in turn, Maria. Swirling into nothing as it all began to flow into her hands, through the shaking limbs and into her chest. Her Heart.

The sheer force of it was enough to make Maria collapse.

She fell to her knees, arms shaking and breath ragged as she struggled to keep it all in. The light pouring down on her in harsh, unforgiving waves. After a few moments time, too long a time, and with labored movements, the fire starter had managed to gather herself up enough to stumble her way over to the still sleeping girl. Reaching out a trembling hand, hesitating before contact, Maria let out a shudder of a sigh. Claiming her resolve enough to try and wake her.

"Kid?" She muttered, reaching out to gently brush the hair from her face, "Irene. I-" she was cut off the moment she made contact. The world around her seeming to stop and move all at once. Everything changing as memories flooded her. A life she knew and yet chose to forget all at once forcing its way to the forefront of her mind. Of her heart.

…

_"You want me to come with you?" came the timid question. Long lashes frame the wide eyes of the small girl. Nine years old with the beauty of the world and all its wonders shining in the bright hazel orbs._

_"Yup! We need your help to save the worlds!" was the chipper reply. Voice high and squeaky and filled with hope, "We believe you're one of the Keepers of Heart. It's your destiny to protect the hearts of others."_

_"But what about my siblings? Darian would be upset if I was just gone."_

_"We can always come back to visit. Friends and family are what form the strongest bonds in our hearts. They're never truly gone as long as we remember them."_

_"I don't know...I'm finally finished being sick. And Irene is so small." She took a step back, fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket. The light from the moon playing off her auburn hair and making it shine like starlight._

_"She'll grow. And so will you. Please, Maria. We can't do this without you." His voice was sad, pleading in a way. As if he was being pushed into a corner; to have to do something he didn't want to do should she not answer the way he wanted._

_A moment's pause, eyes darting back to the still open door to her childhood home. The sounds of laughter and family and_ home _echoing in its walls as she worried her lip between her teeth. She didn't meet his gaze as she answered, eyes still focused on the door, "Do you promise we can visit?"_

_"I promise. I'll bring you back to visit the first chance we get!" the happiness in his voice was unmistakable. Relief flooding his high pitched voice and smile broadening on his face as he held out his hand, "Ready?"_

_With a deep breath, the child turned towards her new friend. Determination flashing in her fierce eyes. She was going to help save the world._ Worlds. _She could help make sure everything was safe for her family. For Clara and Darian. And for little Irene with her bright chocolate eyes._

_Reaching out, she grasped the white gloved hand with purpose, "Okay, Mickey. Let's save the world."_

_In a flash of light like a shooting star, there were there and gone. Whisked away to the worlds and all their glory._

_Never again to step foot in the world she once called Home._

…

Zexion stepped back with a jump as Maria's eyes suddenly flew open wide. The usually stern, resilient girl shoving back from the table as though pushed by Xaldin's winds, collapsing onto her side several feet away from the lab table. Breathing quick and ragged, shoulders and arms trembling as the black around her irises faded into white once more. However, the pure raw, vulnerable sheen in her eyes was probably the most troubling to the Cloaked Schemer. Zexion could not ponder what would have caused such a reaction from the Keeper.

His calculating mind noted that Vexen and Axel had abruptly stopped arguing. The latter having ran up to kneel beside Maria, hand braced gently to her shoulder as though not to harm her. Her name stumbling past his lips repeatedly in the vague hopes that repeating the word would elicit a response from the quivering woman. How trivial.

When it became clear that Maria wasn't going to respond, Axel cursed underneath his breath and picked the young woman up bridal-style, her eyes open wide with shock but the woman unable to speak. Her head rested on his shoulder as he glared at the three Nobodies in the room across from him- all of whom were surrounding the unconscious Irene.

Part of him "wanted" to remain in the room in case they tried anything else with the kid, but his main concern was Maria and he knew that not only Xaldin would throw a fit if something happened to her, but the Superior as well if they lost  _both_ Keepers.  _Saix would chew me out to no end,_ he thought bitterly, opening a portal to Maria's room. Leaving the laboratory, Zexion stared at the way they left momentarily before redirecting his attention to Irene.

The beeping on the monitor had quickened, intervals now at a much more regular pace, and a surprising amount of color was now returning to the girl's face. Her ragged breathing had calmed, the girl appearing as though she had fallen into a peaceful sleep rather than a painful comatose state.

Lexaeus looked down at his charge with partial interest, seeing how Maria's actions had restored Irene's light and her bodily functions to normal. For someone so full of hate and anger, this was an incredibly odd act of kindness. He could sense the darkness was gone, Maria having taken it out of the girl by force, and her very presence helping restore what Irene had lost. The Keeper of Darkness, out of her own will and power, willingly tightened the chains that bound them together.

Irene was recovering quickly, mending her heart back together now that the perpetrator harming her was gone. If anyone in the Organization had a heart to feel it, they would all probably be relieved by that knowledge. Instead, they just went on with the knowledge that they wouldn't be forced to deal with the annoying task of locating and caring for an infant.

Muttering under his breath, Zexion typed away the computer, taking note of the way she seemed to be accepting the elixirs and the concoctions now that the darkness inside her heart was gone. "Please, Number Four, do refresh my memory of what you said earlier about the antigen  _not_ working?"

Scrunching his nose up at the young scientist, Vexen scowled. "Be silent, Number Six. Your behavior towards authority gets worse with each day; I _know_ I raised you better than this."

Shockingly, Zexion did not send a witty retort to match his words, the man growing silent instead. Vexen paused, staring at the younger Nobody in confusion. For a minute, Vexen had thought he had actually won an argument and hurt the boy's pride, before realizing he was staring at the resting girl.

Vexen followed his gaze, watching as the girl shifted slightly, eyelashes flickering as she struggled to wake up. Her fingers twitched, a small cough escaping her lips, and with a quiet groan as her feet pulled against the restraints Irene's eyes fluttered open. Dazed, confused, and  _alive_ Irene looked around the room, glancing at Lexaeus and Vexen briefly before her eyes settled on Zexion.

He held her stare, watching as she blinked at him slowly. Her eyebrows furrowed together, mouth parting slightly as if she was going to speak, only to pause. "...Di-Did I die and go to heaven…? Because you look like an angel."

Vexen was the first to react, sputtering and spitting out disbelieving gibberish before looking at the girl with crazed eyes, exclaiming loudly, " _That's_ the first thing you say!? Zexion is the  _farthest_ thing from an angel!"

She just stared at him with a tired, unimpressed gaze. Lexaeus noted that it was one of her rare expressions- the girl almost always having a smile on her face. With a sighing yawn, the girl laid her head back down and closed her eyes. "He's pretty and wearing white… fight me."

"H-How  _dare_ you-!"

"Bold words considering the brush with death you had." Zexion interrupted, voice cool and expression calm, the man ignoring Irene's comment towards his appearance. Vexen glared at him, crossing his arms with a huff, and spun on his heel to march away. The room dropped a couple of degrees with his attitude and Irene let out a small shiver, scrunching her nose up as she fought against a sneeze. "Do you recall anything that had happened?"

"Uh…" She opened her eyes again, blinked a few more times as she stared at him and then up at the ceiling. "I… I remember Axel. He… He got r-really mad a-and… and then…"

The heart monitor picked up pace with her brief panic.

"We… We got into argument. I-I couldn't breathe and…" She couldn't remember. Irene tried, but everything was a haze. "I woke up here. Everything hurt and then there was darkness…"

She didn't mention the memory of Maria's she saw- the confirmation that they were siblings. It felt too personal, too  _close_  to her heart for her to summon the courage to talk about it. There was also this intense ache in her chest, guilt and pain and fear all mixed together. Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Irene's gaze traveled to the restrains on her wrists.

"...Y-You guys didn't, like, cut me o- _open,_ did you?"

The corner of his lips twitching upwards in a smirk at the suggestion, he turned to the large array of computers and typed on a keyboard with one hand, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "This would have been far more interesting if we did, but no. We could do so, if you would like? Vexen has been quite eager to get his hands on you."

Lexaeus watched as her eyes widened, horror dawning on her face, before she quickly forced a grin and stammered nervously, "A-About that, I-uh, I appreciate the offer, but… y-you know. I'm not really f-feeling up to it right now? Maybe next time."

"Shame. You would make quite an excellent lab specimen. Especially now that your internal organs are almost fully functional."

"I-Is that so? S-Sorr- wait,  _what!?_ "


	11. Of Determination and Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...What'll happen if she doesn't wake up? What if… she doesn't summon her weapon?"
> 
> "Then she'll be trapped in the abyss of her own heart."

"I won't repeat myself."

I stared at Zexion in shock, mouth slightly agape as I processed what he said. Forget about nearly being experimented on- my organs are  _working?_ Or, rather, almost working?

"But… But  _how!?_ " I looked up at him with wide eyes, completely unmoving. "That's not- they can't be-  _what!?_ "

Zexion didn't falter in his typing, now using both of his hands as a strange array of images appeared in the screens. A multitude of them looked like DNA strands, another an outline of a human body, and a couple more resembling atoms. All had a large amount of paragraphs written beside them, too tiny for me to read from the angle I was laying at.

"I won't delve too deep into detail, but by combining science and magic we were able to alter specific strands of DNA. It not only expanded, but also strengthened your weakened organs. Once the last of the potion has went into your system," He pulled away from the keyboard shortly, gesturing to the I.V without looking, "you will be fully functional. You should already be able to tell a difference in your breathing."

"D-Diff-" I didn't finish, voice cutting off as I took notice of how breathless I was. It wasn't the breathless you get from a lack of oxygen, like if you had ran for five minutes straight without stopping, but more of there being  _too much_ air. My lungs hurt from the cold fresh air and I was a little dizzy from the overwhelming amount of oxygen, but as I sat there and just  _breathed_  I began to feel better with each passing second.

_I can breathe. I-I can… I can breathe…?_

"I-I don't… understand…" How? How am I breathing? How were they able to  _fix_ me? Though his back was turned to me, I stared at the back of his head intently and in confusion. He said they used magic and science, but no amount of science back home could have helped me. I shifted a little, only to freeze when I felt a light pull in my neck. Eyes moving, I gazed at the I.V Zexion pointed out earlier and followed the length of the cord, freezing when I realized that it connected to my neck.

_There's a needle in my neck… I-I have a_ _needle_ _in my_ _neck_ _!?_

By the fabrications of this universe and all that is good and holy- WHY is there a needle in my neck!? If I move too much will it pull something and kill me? I know Zexion said the potion that was meant to be helping me is being transferred through it, but why couldn't he had placed it in my arm!? Did I run out of veins to use? Couldn't he have had just taken one wire out!? Why not use a vein from my leg?

Eyes closing as I struggled to calm down and get used to the dizziness that came with so much fresh air, I tried to ignore the giant needle poking out of the curve of my neck. "W-Wait, so… so you actually f-found a way to… to  _fix_ me? A-And it's working?"

Zexion gave a simple nod, pressing a few more buttons. "Indeed."

Stunned, I just laid there, brain processing all that I had heard and was currently feeling as I breathed in fresh air. When I finally managed to relax and get my heart to a steady beat, I tried to focus on everything  _but_ the needle in my neck.  _Alright, so… there was the argument with Axel, because of that my anxiety acted up and caused me to panic, thus making me black out, a-and Zexion brought me here? Assuming it was him, at least… it was probably Lexaeus who carried me. But… it was definitely Zexion and… Vexen who was doing all the work._

I exhaled into the oxygen mask covering my face, thinking on that vision I saw. It had definitely been Maria in that scene and I  _knew_ it was her somehow, as if her heart had touched mine in some strange way. That woman, the angry and violent, fiery woman,  _is_ my Maria. My sister. The one who I always wanted to meet. I didn't understand why I had that vision or how, but she did something.

I just wish I knew what. Blinking a few times, completely forgetting the cheesy line I used on the cold-faced scientist when I first woke up, I asked curiously, "Wh… When will the, uh… "potion" be done?"

Walking back into the room, a pair of creepy black goggles on his face, Vexen looked down at me with a scowl. "One more day."

…

Axel stared at the girl curled up on the bed with brows drawn together, his shoulders tense and fists clenched. Seeing her, shaking and broken, eyes wide and unseeing as tremor after tremor wracked through her. It was terrifying. To have someone so strong and proud reduced to a petrified shell of themselves; it hit too close to home. And that made him angry.

Shutting the door behind him as he left the room, he glanced down the hall to see Xaldin leaning against the wall, arms crossed. A scowl settled on his face as he glared at the higher ranked member, "How long have you been there?"

"Since Demyx and I found you both missing only to have Vexen inform us of Maria's collapse." He informed, his tone heavy and cold as he shot his violet gaze towards the other. Eyes cold and unforgiving, "I do believe I recall telling you not to do anything rash."

"One minute she was fine and the next she was on the ground. I don't know what happened."

"You were supposed to watch her."

"You were supposed to help!" Axel snapped, turning to Xaldin with fury in his eyes, "All you do is talk and order me to watch her when  _you_  were the one who was supposed to! I was fine going about my own business and you just-!"

"Axel."

"No, this is all that Light Keeper's fault. If she would've just stopped panicking at every little thing, Maria would be conscious and none of this shit would be happening. I won't-!"

" _Axel_." Xaldin repeated, his tone fierce as a sharp gust of wind shot through the hall, causing Axel to take a step back out of reflex. With a sigh Xaldin continued, his tone not quite as harsh, "None of this could have been prevented. The Light's health was fading and Maria acted of her own accord. Her choices were her own." His eyes narrowed at the emerald orbs, seeing not but the rambunctious boy he once was, "This is not the Garden,  _Eight_. You are no longer Lea. Lea  _had_ a heart."

With a scowl, Axel ran his hand through his hair, rubbing the back of his neck with a certain tenseness to him. A sense of unease settled deep in his bones at the memory. His voice was softer as he spoke, despite the coarse edge to it, "I know that."

"Then act as such." Xaldin scolded, folding his hands behind his back. "This needs to be handled.  _Delicately_. If certain members hear word of this it will only cause trouble."

"What do you suggest we do then?" Came the snarky reply, Axel not bothering to hide the sneer from his voice.

Not bothering to acknowledge the obvious resentment, Xaldin informed the other of what was needed. "You will go to Lord Xemnas and tell him what has happened, as you are aware. Afterwards, send Zexion to do the same."

"Zexion? Why not Vexen?"

"When it comes to you and Vexen being in the same room, it is no secret that  _nothing_  gets done. If anyone saw what had happened to the Keepers, it would be Zexion."

Axel thought through Xaldin's words for a long moment before turning to leaves stopping just long enough to glare at the Lancer from the corner of his eye. Malice promised in his gaze, he growled, "You stay with her, and break anyone that tries to stop you."

"She has my guard, Axel."

The redhead scoffed at that; at the firm resolve that Xaldin thought he harbored. His shoulders set, he turned to walk down the hall, the weight of the lost worlds seeming to press down on Axel's slim shoulders. His words clipped and set to cut deeper than even Marluxia's blade.

"Let's hope for her sake that's enough this time."

With Axel's departure, Xaldin was left alone to revel at Axel's words. And at the accusations of his failure, only the echo of retreating footsteps left to ease his mind.

…

Two days was an aggravatingly long wait. Vexen  _said_ the I.V would take only one day, but neither he nor Zexion were willing to let me leave the lab until they were certain that my health wasn't going to deteriorate and the antigen they made didn't backfire. Luckily, nothing actually happened, but it was annoying just sitting there with nothing to do- Zexion constantly taking notes and checking my vitals. At one point during the end of the first day, he had left to do something and left me alone with Vexen.

Needless to say, not a lot happened other than me trying to avoid being cut open and experimented on. He didn't scare me as much anymore, but I did find his a little creepy. "So… you guys friends or something?"

"Do you  _want_ me to scalpel you? Be silent so I can focus on reconstructing my notes!"

I kept my mouth shut after that, something a little difficult considering I liked to talk, and so the rest of the day continued rather stressfully until Zexion returned. He didn't answer my questions as clearly as I would have liked, remaining as curt and witty as before. It was only when I brought up the subject of my earlier comment that I managed to get a proper response out of him.

"You know, if you think on it, Vexen is right about you being the farthest thing from an angel. The original descriptions of angels are quite terrifying." Zexion raised an eyebrow at that, lifting his gaze away from the clipboard he was writing on, and looked at me. "So~ that means if you were any mythological creature, you'd probably be a demon. Because demons are usually highly pretty and you're one of the prettiest people I've seen so far."

The scientist hummed in response, not really caring one way or another. "Aren't those on the side of the light normally depicted as ethereal? Why on your world are they written as horrors and demons beauty?"

"Um…" I thought on that, biting down on my bottom lip and knitting my eyebrows together. "Probably because demons are normally the bad guys. Takes the victim off guard- lures them into a… a false sense of security or something. But… But I don't think all demons are evil. They just have really crappy jobs and if you were stuck in a burning hellfire every day for eternity, I think anyone would go a little crackers."

"And angels?"

"Er… because truth is a harsh mistress?"

He stared at me, curiosity flickering in his eyes just briefly. "...I'm surprised  _you_ would say that."

"Well- have you ever read mythology?" Zexion gave me a blank stare and nodded his head as if I had asked an idiotic question. "Like- in greece! Greek and Roman mythology; Pluto/Hades is technically the eldest son, but he got last draw and was booted off Olympus to rule forever over the dead!"

Zexion's attention was  _very much_ caught now, his single blue eye narrowing and staring at me intensely as I spoke. It was a little unnerving, but at least he was listening fully now.

"If-If you were stuck with moaning, groaning ghosts all the time and an adorable three-headed dog that didn't get enough love, you'd be super miserable all the time! N-Not to mention you'd always have someone thwarting your plans, and your philanderer of a brother getting away bad mouthing you!"

"...By philanderer, are you perhaps speaking about the King of Olympus- Zeus?"

I blinked, dumbfounded. "Uh, yeah… who else?"

With that, Zexion flipped to another page on his clipboard and began writing, muttering to himself about how "interesting" this new information was. Did he lie to me when he said he read mythology? Rude.

A knock on the door interrupted out conversation. Zexion didn't bother looking, an almost distasteful expression forming, and he walked off to join Vexen around the corner with the other machines. I watched in confusion as the door opened, wondering if it was going to be Lexaeus, only to stare in shock and pleasant surprise when a familiar pink-haired person walked in.

"Marluxia~!" Excited, I pushed myself off the table only to freeze. I looked at Zexion nervously, wondering if it was alright to move, and sensing my stare he glanced at me and nodded. My grin returned and I charged at Marluxia again, skidding to a stop in front of him and awkwardly waving.

He chuckled, crossing an arm over his chest and giving his own wave. "Hello, Irene. Feeling any better?" At first, I thought he was talking about how I was experimented on, but then I remembered our last meeting and how I had brushed him away after I started crying. I flinched and brought a hand up, rubbing anxiously at my neck.

"Y-Yeah… I-I'm sorry…"

Marluxia smiled at those words, reaching up and patting me lightly on the head. "It's quite alright. Are you perhaps hungry? I trust the scientists haven't starved you…"

I almost jumped out of my skin when a nasally voice began to shout. Acid green eyes glared venomously at Marluxia, and the pink-haired beauty stared coldly at the dirty blond in response. "You  _insolent_  Number Eleven! I'll have you know that we had Lexaeus bring her meals daily! Now, if you have nothing to speak with us that is of importance…  _leave!_ Zexion and I have research to do!"

With a roll of the eyes, Marluxia placed a hand on my shoulder and began to guide me out of the room. I started to protest, but held my tongue as I didn't want to make Vexen angrier. If pushed, he probably  _would_ cut me open and prod at my organs with a stick. "To think you had to spend so long in here with  _them_ …" Marluxia sighed. "I pity you, Irene."

"H-Hah? Wh-Why? What's wrong with them?"

"Hm?" He acted surprised. "Do they not bother you?"

I shook my head, watching as he closed the door. "N-No… well, Vexen is a little scary, but I like Zexion. He's polite, but  _super_ sassy. It's great!" I beamed, before quickly growing excited. I waved my hands in the air, already able to feel the incredible and almost uncomfortable difference in my breathing. "O-Oh! Guess what!?"

"What?" He asked, looking rather amused as he watched me rock up-and-down on my toes.

"I-I can breathe!" Even though I knew it was so and I had said it out loud, I still found it difficult to believe. I can  _feel_ the difference in my chest, in my body, and the way I inhaled the air around me. It was cold, almost suffocatingly so due to just how  _much_ of the oxygen there was for me inhale, but also welcoming. "I… I can breathe…"

My voice cracked and I blinked rapidly, fighting against the tears as I swallowed down the lump in my throat and pressed a hand against my suddenly aching chest.  _I-... A part of me is happy, b-but at the same time…_ I was starting to feel guilty. I was better, but what about my father? He was ill, too. It wasn't fair that I was the only one who got better. His condition was far worse than mine.

"...Zexion and Vexen, th-they… they did something to fix my lungs," I choked, my bubbly demeanor dying down to something more solemn. "I-I don't know what, exactly, but… they fixed me."

"Did they? That's a good thing, isn't it? Why are you acting as if you're distraught over it?"

Bring a hand up and ruffling my hair, I gave an awkward shrug as I looked away. "I-I'm not," I diverted, not really certain as to how I felt, "it's just… hard to process."

"As is everything else about your new life, it seems," Marluxia mused, bring a hand up to his chin thoughtfully. I made a face at his words, knowing he was referring to our conversation a few days ago. Marluxia continued, "Well, no matter; I'm sure you'll get used to it. Now, shall we head out?"

"A-Actually…" I've been surrounded by guards since I got here. I've been cooped up in a lab for three days and as much as I like Marluxia I really didn't want to be around him or anyone else right now. "Um… c-can I wander for a bit?"

Marluxia hummed to himself, crossing his arms. "Well, I suppose we can take a detour… I won't force you to eat. Would you care to see the garden I've been nurturing?"

That… wasn't what I meant. I opened my mouth to explain that I wanted to be alone, but upon realizing that would be my second time pushing him away I found myself remaining silent. I gave a timid nod instead, grabbing onto my scab-covered arms. Even if I wasn't allowed to leave the lab, I was able to change clothes and shower. Zexion had only went to one of my parents houses, so I didn't have as many long sleeves as usual. My arms felt bare and naked in the short-sleeves I was wearing.

"S-Sure…"

The pink-haired man smiled down at me, extending a hand out towards me. I looked at it in confusion, only to have realization smack me in the face. "Shall we go?" I hesitated before reaching forward, latching onto his sleeve rather than grabbing his hand. He was briefly stunned. Then a smirk slowly wormed onto his lips, as if intrigued or amused. "You really are a timid little rabbit, aren't you?"

"I-I'm not-I'm not that timid… I think." Was I really? I know I could be awkward or quiet at times, but timid? I knit my eyebrows together, thinking hard on it and trying to psychoanalyze myself. "I don't know… hm. Weird. A-Anyway- to the flowers!" I pointed forward, trying to change the topic.

Marluxia shook his head in response to my action, but didn't hesitate in walking forward and leading the way to the garden.

...

Two days. It had been two days since everything had happened. Two days since Maria had  _chose_ to dive into that stupid kid's heart. Two days since she pulled the darkness from her very core. And two days since she remembered  _that_.

Bright hazel eyes staring in wonder; the worlds at her fingertips with the promise of heroism, of the chance to explore, to save the Worlds. Of kindly spoken words shared through lies and deception to nothing more than a child. A child too eager to be of use to understand the falseness of those words. Too eager to please, to help, to learn.

And learn she did.

Learn of the falseness of half spoken promises. To learn that no matter how many times she ran off, she would always be dragged back. Of how they never intended to let her return home, even to visit. Of how she never learned the name of her home world and could never find it again. Of how she was a tool to be used. A weapon to be sharpened. And a fighter trained to kill.

Maria knew all of these things. And yet that same memory, that same  _lie_ she had buried at the back of her mind pushed its way forward. Playing over and over, asleep or awake. It was driving her mad.

Add to that the fact that she wasn't allowed to leave her room for those two days given her previous catatonic state. One could say she was going crazy. Or at the very least, increasingly angry.

And Maria was well acquainted with anger.

Pushing herself up off the windowsill she had deemed as her perch for the past two days, she strode over to the door with quick determined steps. Eyes set with determination and resolve. She was getting out of this room and not even the so-called Kingdom Hearts itself would stop her. With a rough yank, she jerked the door open; startling her keeper of the hour from the sudden movement, if only for a moment.

Xaldin turned to her, looking her over and taking note of her appearance. The thick red sweater with the zipper up the side, covering her small form and denoting the rage she so easily possessed. He stared down at her, arms folded neatly behind his back, "I see you are moving now. Is there something you need?"

"I need out of this god damn room before I murder you all." She said as she made to move past him.

The sharp jut of a black clad arm shot out in front of her, blocking her from moving past him, "The Superior has not yet agreed to your leaving. He requests you rest before moving about."

"I've been resting for two days. If you keep me locked up in here I will either go crazy and kill all of you or you'll be stuck trying to find another Keeper of Darkness." She stated through a growl, hazel eyes filling with flecks of crimson as she stared him down, "I like you, Xaldin. But either move or be moved."

"You think you could challenge me- given all that has happened?"

"I've been made to rest for days and now that the kid is set and good I'm at the top of my game." She stepped up to him, crowding into his personal space as red and violet clashed in a heated stare despite the obvious height difference. Her tone was harsh and final as she spoke, leaving no room for mistaking her earlier threat, " _Move._ "

Xaldin held his ground, looking over the fury before him, fingers twitching ever so slightly in expectation. _Lord Xemnas had said he wished her to rest. I suppose there is only one way to test it._  He thought as he flexed his hand, a sharp wind shooting between them before rushing against the smaller elemental.

But Maria was ready for it. Using the wind as fuel, she set it ablaze in crimson fire. The heat not even registering on her skin as she pushed forward, shoving her shoulder roughly into Xaldin's torso to force him back. Using his sudden surprise at the flames to her advantage.

He quickly regained his footing, grabbing Maria's arm as she made to slip around him. Pulling sharply before flinging her against the opposing wall.

"Perhaps you should think before charging-?" Began the Lancer, only to have a lithe body tackle him. Maria, having turned from the momentum of Xaldin's throw and planted her feet on the wall, jumped forward, wrapping her arms around him and forcing him back. The sudden added weight causing the now top-heavy guard to fall flat on his back.

A determined Maria now sitting atop his abdomen; one foot braced on his right wrist to keep him from summoning his lance, while her hands held her swords against his neck, hovering there with a fierce resolve. He stared up at her, face unchanging as he took in the red of her eyes, the smooth masked expression of indifference despite the fury of her gaze. Maria was one set to kill if needed, but she held. Proving her point and passing Xaldin's test all in one.

"I believe the Superior's worry over you is unneeded." Came the smooth remark from the Lancer. Eyes never leaving her blazing gaze.

"Is that why there's a lance pressed to my back?" She remarked with a slight tilt of her head. A long tipped lance hovered behind the Firestarter, its point braced between her shoulder blades, ready to drive through if needed.

That made Xaldin smirk, "One can never be too careful when fighting an unknown enemy. Anyone can exploit a weakness but few can turn that into an advantage."

"In this scenario, I don't think either of us managed that."

"No. But you proved your point." He said as he moved his free hand, the lance vanishing, "Now, would you mind releasing your hold? As much as I might enjoy the look of a fine blade, this is a bit too close to be considered comfortable."

With a huff, Maria let her sword vanish, releasing Xaldin's trapped wrist as well as she made to stand up, "I suppose that's true. Now are you going to let me move?"

"I believe you've earned the right to do so. But as I'm sure you are aware, you will be followed." Came the curt response. Sitting up and brushing his long onyx strands back over his shoulder.

"Like anything else in my life is new." She muttered, leaning over to offer a hand to him.

Arching a brow, he took the offered help, pulling just a bit harder than needed to get to his feet. Grinning as he noticed Maria shift positions to accommodate for the added force and weight.

"Ass." She breathed, although the heat had left her tone. Hazel eyes turned to glance up at him, a small barely-there smile gracing her lips.

"So Axel has so accused me of. Now then, shall we?" the question was matched with a subtle wave of his arm towards the open corridor, offering Maria the option to choose their destination.

"Alright." And with that, they went- heading into the castle for a much needed change of scenery.

…

I've never seen so many flowers before in my  _life_. Holy flubber mongrels...

To say Marluxia's garden was beautiful felt like such an understatement. There was honestly no real way to put the sheer amount of beauty in front of me into words. It was just...breathtaking.

Despite knowing that we were inside, the room felt like an outdoor paradise. The walls of the room arched high above us into a dome-esque shape. The ceiling and walls painted in soft blue hues as though to mimic the sky; with a bright shining light casting warmth and sunshine throughout the room.

It could be magic. Probably magic. Okay, given everything that's happened here in this…  _world_ … it definitely had to be magic.

The room was laid out as though a courtyard; with soft grey cobble-styled walkways reaching across the room. Dozens of large sections cut out of the the ground and into flower beds spread across the circular room. Each flower bed seemed to contain flowers from completely different countries - no,  _worlds._

Roses, hydrangeas, lilies, and carnations; everything that seemed to be from home all gathered in one section. Things that looked like venus fly traps and other dangerous looking flowers sat on the other side of the main isle- all sharp thorns and jagged leaves. Another held pink vines curling up the wall with icy blue flowers budding from them, frost coating their petals. Streams of water cut through the walkways and into the flowerbeds in intertwining patterns. Everything, from wall to wall, flower bed to flower bed, was covered in an array of color and light.

It was like a dream. A beautiful, radiant dream that wished to pull me into its arms and lull me to sleep amongst the petals. Awe and perfection rolling through my mind at the sheer sight of it.

"This… is your  _garden?_ " It took everything I had to get the words out, staring at the scenery around us. Marluxia smirked, as if proud by his achievements. He placed a hand on my back and pushed me forward lightly, urging me to look around.

"Of course. I tend to it whenever I can- though, a lot of it is simply a manifestation of my magic. If something happens to me, the flowers and other plants will react as well. If I'm injured they will wilt, and if I'm thriving the flowers will bloom beautifully."

I gazed around in silence, stunned by the magic surrounding me. The venus fly traps and other carnivorous-looking plants creeped me out a little, but the flowers… "I-I can't believe this is a garden. A-Are you sure we didn't walk into a different  _dimension_?" I turned around, walking in a circle as I headed farther into the room. My bare feet hit the cobblestone walkway, Marluxia following behind slowly and watching as I reacted. "Oh my god…  _you_ made this? A-All of this? Marluxia, this is… this is  _amazing!_ I-I can't- I can't even describe-"

I cut myself off, stopping briefly to kneel down and look at the mixture of camellias, roses, and carnations. Not far off were a mixture of white lilies and bright red spider lilies. I hesitated, scared of hurting the flower, before reaching forward and gently touching one of the red petals on a camellia.

I've never been so overwhelmed by beauty before, but…  _this_? This garden? The flowers, the walkway, the ceiling, the streams of water-  _everything_ was just so unbelievable and fantastic and  _breathtaking_. My eyes watered a little, the emotions piling up and nearly crushing me. "I-It's so lovely…"

"Lovely?" He echoed, sounding a little amused. "Judging by your reaction, you're quite happy with this place, aren't you?"

I pulled my hand away from the flower, folding it in my lap, and nodded silently. This place was beautiful and overwhelming, and while it calmed me and relaxed my nerves it also brought back all the pain and hurt I had been feeling earlier. It was a contradictory feeling, one I didn't really understand, but while it did bring back the aching it seemed to bring so much relief.

Flowers, blooming peacefully and beautifully… thriving in such a desolate castle like this one. It wasn't a miracle… no. It was  _magic_. Magic did this. Marluxia's magic. He created all of this. There was no way I could deny it anymore- magic was real and so was this castle. This garden, the "Nobodies", everything that's happening… it was real.

And while the flowers soothed me, the knowledge that I was living in reality hurt far more than anything else so far. Inhaling deeply, I let out a shaky breath, closing my eyes as I lowered my head. "...Thank you… Marluxia."

My voice was soft as I spoke, barely even audible, but Marluxia heard me. He stared down at me with an unreadable face, before nodding his and crossing his arms. "But of course. I said you could talk to me about anything, didn't I? I'm  _here_ for you…"

…

But was he really? She was so easy to trick, to deceive, to manipulate. As long as he plastered a smile on his face and said sweet words, Irene followed along without hesitation. Having learned of her fascination with flowers, Marluxia thought it would be best to show her his garden. It looked like Eden to all who walked in, or perhaps a hell to those who were allergic and despised flowers, but for Irene…

It would be her prison. He needed to isolate her from the other members and what other way than to lure her somewhere she would enjoy? Marluxia needed time to befriend her, to get her to work for him against the rest of the Organization when it was time. For that, he needed to act-

He needed her to trust him.

…

I didn't say anything in response to his words; I didn't know how to. What could I even say? He's been so nice to me since the beginning and all I ever did was push him away. I was  _jerk_. I opened my eyes, looking down at the flowers with a new emotion-  _guilt_.

Pulling my legs up to my chest as I sat down completely, I curled into a small ball and rested my chin on my arms, sniffling a little. "I… I'm sorry, Marluxia…" I really didn't want to talk about anything right now, but I felt as though I had to apologize. I couldn't stand being around him any longer without doing so. "I... all you've done is… is be so nice to me a-and I just pushed you away. I-I'm so sorry…"

I couldn't see him, but there was a moment of silence before I could hear his footsteps. A gloved hand rested on my shoulder and I looked up, almost scared to see his facial expression, only to have my eyes widen in shock at the single white daisy being held out to me. Marluxia wasn't smiling, but he wasn't exactly upset either. "Do not fret, Irene… that was all in the past. Now, we are in the garden… and everything is forgiven."

 _E-Everything…?_ I blinked when he tucked the daisy behind my left ear, my bangs keeping it from falling, and I watched as he stood and extended a hand out to me once more. I stared at it for a split second, wondering if he truly forgave me, before accepting the gesture and allowing him to help pull me back up onto my feet. I looked down and then back up, offering a small smile. "Th… Thanks for bringing me here. The garden's really pretty."

He chuckled. "But of course. You're free to come here anytime." With a smirk, Marluxia gestured to one of the paths ahead of us. "Would you like a tour?"

Any sad emotions I had been feeling earlier quickly vanished, now replaced with excitement as I waved my hands excitedly in the air before clapping them and holding them up to my mouth in an attempt to calm down. "Yes, yes, yes! Please?"

Needless to say, a couple hours flew by quick as Marluxia showed me around the garden, explaining to me the different species of flowers and how he came to learn of their existence. It was here that I told Marluxia about my favorite flower, the "Forget-Me-Not", and how I loved the color and symbolism it possessed. He proceeded to guide to the area where the blue flowers rested, and I was left to admire the garden once more.

Unfortunately, not long after I started to grow hungry and it wasn't until my stomach started to rumble loudly that we decided to leave and head to the kitchen.

It was surprisingly vacant, but after snagging another poptart- and getting a comment from Marluxia on how that seemed to be the only thing he ever saw me eat- we went back into the hallway to just wander. An idea came to me, as I was growing curious about my stamina now that my lungs were apparently perfectly healthy, and I looked up at the tall pink-haired man.

_Everything's forgiven, so it should be okay to ask if I can wander by myself… but I'm also really curious now._

"Hey, Marluxia? How fast a runner are you?"

He hummed, surprised at the question as he looked down at me. A really stupid grin was spread across my face. Marluxia raised an eyebrow, wondering what I was smiling like that for. "I'm rather fast. I  _am_ the Graceful Assassin, after all."

"You're an  _assassin!?_ " I didn't bother hiding my shock. "Wh-What!? But… But you're so nice!"

"So I may appear, but given the order I will not hesitate to take down my target." With a confident smirk, he reached forward. I leaned back, cringing and scrunching up my face when his fingers neared my face. Next thing I knew, I was flicked in the forehead and ended up stumbling back. "Like so."

I scowled at him, rubbing the new wound on my face, but the amusement failed to disappear. "Rude. Okay- so, you're super fast, right?" He nodded. Acting as though I had no evil plan in mind, I moved closer and poked his arm. Marluxia stared. Then, without warning, I told him, "You're it," as calmly as I could and took off running down the hallway.

Needless to say, I think I got the upperhand there. He didn't really seem like the kind of person to chase after others, so I was rather hoping he didn't actually follow me because I  _did_ want to spend some time alone. I've had so much people interaction this week I needed time to unwind.

Looking over my shoulder as I ran, I grew relieved when I saw him just casually strolling the hallway, as if too lazy to run after me.  _Victory is mine~! Wow, I'm still running… this is weird. It would normally start to hurt by now._

There was the slightest bit of breathlessness, but my chest didn't burn or ache. I wasn't aware I had this much stamina. A mixture of emotions building up inside of me at this revelation and how my lungs really  _were_ functional, Jumping a little as I turned a corner, I slowed down only when I came across a staircase.

It looked an awful lot like the staircase Lexaeus and I had been on, but then again everything in this castle looked the same. Except the garden… the garden was fantastic.

Once I managed to finish heading up the staircase, I broke out into another run.

It was when I started to head down a very familiar hallway that I came to dead stop, frozen by the figures swerving about in the air ahead of me.  _Th… Those look like the same one Lexaeus destroyed earlier…_ Dusks.  _M-Maybe if I just back away slowly they won't-_

They all stopped moving, zipped-mouth faces turning to look at me.

_Welp, I'm dead. Goodbye world._

Almost scared to move, I slid my right foot back to see if they would react. Nothing. Another step… and again… and… they dove to the ground and started moving in my direction with incredible speed. Fear striking my heart I burst into another dash, a small scream escaping when one dusk suddenly launched itself out of the ground and at me. Another followed shortly after and I skidded sideways, lips curling back as I ground my teeth together tightly.

_Crap! Oh gods- no!_

One of their blade-like arms hit the back of my leg and sent me falling. I tried to roll out of the way, but the third dusk blocked my escape and the other four flanked me, keeping me from escaping as they hovered about and around me.

 _S-Somebody… please…_ I stared fearfully at the one in front of me, praying that it would just leave me alone. I was too scared to speak. The dusks didn't move to hurt, not yet at least, just hovering and doing their weird wiggling movement as they stood there. After a minute of that, I slowly pushed myself into a sitting position and looked around at them, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.  _Are… Are they not going to attack?_

"C… Can you guys move, please?"

They remained unmoving for a few seconds before slowly shifting, moving almost like ribbons in the air as they created an opening.  _I… It actually worked? They're listening? What?_ Blinking in confusion, I stood and awkwardly stepped away from them, looking behind me to see if Marluxia had caught up yet and then at them.

"A-Alrighty then… um, thank you?" They continued to swerve through the air. I nodded awkwardly, wondering if they actually understood me or not, and made a weird effort of waving my arms in the air in an attempt to communicate with them. "Can you understand me~?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin when one proceeded to fly around me before latching onto my shoulders. I stopped waving my arms and leaned my head back, looking at the odd creature now attached to me.

"...Hi?"

Maybe they could… hm. Well, I had some alone time so I guess it's fine. Was Demyx still in the castle? I focused on the dusks still swerving and wiggling in the air, making a strange face as I watched them.

"Do you think you guys could slow down Marluxia a little longer? And-uh," I turned my gaze to the one on my shoulder, "do you know if Demyx is in the castle?"

The dusks moved so fast there was a gust of wind, the one around my shoulders shooting off from around my neck and cutting my cheek with its foot accidentally as it flew forward, the others sinking into the ground and heading in the direction I came from. Shaking my head with raised eyebrows at the situation, I ruffled my hair and took after the dusk in front of me.

"O-Okay, charging. Got it!"

…

When we got close to the lounge, I could hear music. The beautiful, familiar music of a sitar. The dusk had slowed enough to where I could follow it by walking, and when I peered into the room I had first arrived in I was surprised to see Saix standing silently in a corner and Demyx playing away on the couch he was on, looking rather apathetic and uncaring about life.

 _No hearts… right… okay._ I stepped forward, ready to talk to Demyx, only to freeze.  _The last time I saw Demyx was when everyone made the comment about me and Maria… I got mad at Xigbar and when Demyx tried to help…_ God freaking- why can't I make friends in this dumb place? I keep acting like a jerk.

The dusk, instead of stopping now that I had arrived and found Demyx, continued to swerve into the room until it neared the blond. He paused in his strumming, staring blankly at the dusk before confusion etched across his face. "What? H-Hey, stop moving- what are you doing!?"

It dove into the ground and moved over to me, Demyx following it with his eyes. Seeing me and how the dusk perched itself onto my shoulder, he froze and stared on in shock. Saix was watching from the background, quietly observing. I gave a timid wave, offering a small grin in Demyx's direction.

The sitar faded in his hands, the blond standing up. "W-Weren't you in the lab? Why is the dusk attached to you!? What's going on?"

"I… I don't really know, to be honest. Um, Zexion and Vexen fixed me up, so I stayed there for a while, and then Marluxia came to pick me up and we hung out for a while. So after a few hours passed and we got food, I poked him in the arm and ran for it. That's when I ran into this guy and his buddies." I pointed at the dusk, a curious idea hitting me as I looked at it. Tentatively reaching out, I placed a hand on the top of its head and began to pet it.

It felt  _really_ weird. It was like soft metal- easy to cut with enough force, but still difficult to break.

"Thought they were going to attack me like the one with Lexaeus did, but… they just kinda hovered around me. So I sent the others to slow down Marluxia and had this guy look for you."

"You…" Demyx's eyes were wide, completely disbelieving, and he walked over with slumped shoulders, gesturing to the dusk in shock. "You can  _control_ the dusks? They listen to you?"

"No idea!"

"I thought only the Keeper of Darkness could control things…" He muttered, eying the creature oddly. "Keepers of Darkness are  _literally_ complete darkness, so they have a certain amount of control over weak Heartless, but Zexion and Vexen never said anything about the Keeper of Light being able to control Dusks…"

Demyx suddenly shook his hand, waving his hands in the air.

"No, no, no, no, no! Forget that! Why are you even talking to me? I thought you were mad at me?"

"Th-That… I wasn't mad at  _you_ , Demyx." I explained, lowering my head at the horrible memory. "I-I was mad at Xigbar and myself a-and… and I took it out on you. I'm sorry…"

Demyx stared down at me for a long moment. I shifted uncomfortably underneath his gaze, the dusk releasing itself from my shoulders and slinking towards the ground. I curled my hands into fists to avoid fiddling with my fingers, my sleeves too short to tug and twist, and I waited in stressful silence for him to respond.

When he finally spoke, my heart almost gave out in relief. "I forgive you... But you have to listen to me rant about how much of a jerk Xigbar's been since you left!"

I laughed, grinning widely, and nodded. "Fair enough."

With that said, we headed towards the couch and sat down, Demyx ranting in annoyance of how Xigbar kept bullying him. He paused only once, confusion flickering in his eyes, before he shook his head and continued to ramble. Before long, his sitar was back in his lap and I was listening to him play.

...

Axel had just made it back to the castle; having been sent on a small recon mission by Saix while the Keepers were recovering. Running a hand through the hair on the back of his head, he sighed.

"Man, oh man. He's gonna run me ragged one of these days." Muttered the redhead before he heard voices coming from down the hall. Strange, as the others usually didn't travel down this section of the Castle like Axel did. It made him curious. Curiosity had always been one of his downfalls after all. He took off at a leisurely pace, taking his time to close the distance between him and the mystery voices. Finally getting close enough to distinguish who it was; and that  _who_  surprised him greatly.

"You know, you'd actually be a good training partner." Came the confident voice. All brash pride and confidence.

"Lexaeus has often remarked on my skills in battle."

"I'm assuming that's because you're both walking towers."

A pause, and then- "I believe you are remarking on our height?"

A bright laugh echoed then, one Axel remembered from their trip to Traverse Town. A laugh he thought he wouldn't hear again for sometime.

"Something like that. Honestly, all of the Organization is tall. Like, creepily so. The only one who isn't so far is Zexion? I think that's what Axel said his name was."

"He is still but a child." Replied the stern voice.

Gritting his teeth at that comment, moving to lean against the wall where one hall met the other, Axel felt his jaw twitch in irritation. No one is a child anymore; especially not in the Organization. Least of all Zexion.

…

"No one is a child. That idea is nothing more than fantasy." Came Maria's cold reply to Xaldin's words. The words tasted ashen in her mouth. She knew what she said was true; the moment magic and other worlds become part of your life, childhood innocence is gone. Everything is brought into a war of right and wrong, light and dark. And even though she had fought on the side of  _Light_ , she was still darkness. And they had never let her forget it.

"Child in mind, no. But he is still young. I believe he is not much older than the Keeper of Light." Xaldin stated calmly, as if stating a simple well-known fact.

She shook her head, thinking for a long moment before slowing down and looking up at him. Head cocked to the side curiously, "Hey, Xaldin."

Stopping, he turned halfway to face her, brows drawn up lightly, "Yes, Maria."

"Our fight back there. Were you actually trying or were you holding back?"

Xaldin regarded her for a long moment, contemplating lying to make her feel better or telling the truth. He opted for the latter, "No. I was not fighting at full strength."

"So you let me take you down?"

"Yes."

Hazel eyes searched violet ones, seeming to look for something. Whatever it was she had been searching for, Xaldin believed her to have found it given the small smile she tried to hide before she continued to walk once more. Her stride much more at ease now than before.

"Next time we fight, no holding back. I want to see what a Whirlwind can actually do."

A smirk graced his face then, only a tad smug as he made off down the hall, "If we were to fight as such, you would be felled in a matter of minutes."

"Why Xaldin, I didn't know you were such a tease." Maria chided, feigning bashfulness until Xaldin sent her a scandalized look. A bright laugh leaving her again, "Man, your face! God, Axel would of loved to see that."

She managed through her small fit of laughter; feeling at ease for the first time in days. One thing Maria was slowly realizing was how easily she could relax around the two nobodies. A strange thing in and of itself; she chalked it up to their similar affinities. Not wishing to look too deeply into that thought.

Quickly composing himself once more, the Lancer brushed off the previous comment. Looking straight ahead. He felt a familiar presence as they neared another hall, noting the silent heat that sat beyond it. Walking past the hall, not bothering to even look down it, he already knew who was waiting.

"Axel." came the short yet curt greeting as they passed. That one name made Maria perk up, stopping to look down the hall and spotting the all to familiar redhead.

"Axel!" She called as she moved past Xaldin and into the adjoining hall to stand in front of the taller firestarter. She stared up at him, purposefully ignoring the tense set of his shoulders and the stiffly crossed arms. "You ass. You left me locked up for two days."

Huffing, the redhead cast acidic green eyes towards hers. Relaxing faintly at finally seeing her now that she wasn't a collapsed mess. Her hazel eyes bright and playful, skin flushed instead of the sickly pallor of before. He had to admit, the new clothes fit her much better than Larxene's old ones.

"It's not like I chose to leave you there. Saix sent me off on a mission for Xemnas."

She blinked at him, as if trying to register the name to a face in her memory and falling short. He noticed then that she tended to bite her bottom lip when deep in thought, "Saix...is he the blue haired one? With the scar?"

He stared a moment too long. Shaking his head to clear it before running a hand through his hair, placing the other on his hip, "Yeah. That's him. He's the one who made you stop after you took out Zexion and Marluxia."

"Saix." She repeated, testing the name and filing it away for when she needed it, "What's his number?"

"Seven." Xaldin chimed in, stepping up behind the brunette, "He is called the Lunar Diviner."

"Seven." Realization dawned on her as she turned back to Axel, pointing at him, "Eight. Did you two join at the same time?"

Axel's eyes flicked up to Xaldin at that. A pain he knew should be there, but not quite registering filling his chest. The need to have that emotion playing in his head before shrugging it off and looking back down to the hazel eyed girl, "Yeah. Something like that. Saix joined up first, so I got the Eighth slot."

Maria nodded, noticing how Axel hesitated before replying. Taking pity on the man, she opted for a different approach, "That's kinda a relief he beat you to it. Eight was always one of my lucky numbers." She breathed with a smile, shoving her hands in her back pockets. The two men stared at her as she moved to head down the hall again, heading where she remembered Lexaeus said the lounge was.

"Did she just…?" Axel started, gaping at Maria's retreating back as he tried to process what it was she meant.

"I believe she is growing fond of you." Xaldin informed, watching her as well.

"But what the hell did she mean?"

"Are you two coming or not?" Maria called, leaning forward even as she balanced on her heels, "I swear I'll leave you both. Go 'Keeper gone Rouge'. I bet your Superior would be  _thrilled_." She threatened. However it lost its bite given the wide smirk on her face.

Axel's face fell into a blank unimpressed stare, "She's fucking with us."

"It would appear so." The Lancer agreed.

Axel glanced over at the taller man, a smirk slowly spreading across his features, "Hey, Xaldin?"

A sigh escaped him, heavy and bracing for what was no doubt about to happen, "Yes, Axel?"

"You ever catch a solar flare?"

"Have I what-?" Xaldin began, confused, before Axel burst into a rage of fire and heat. Maria having overheard and done the same as the firestarters took off down the hall as fast as they could, their laughter echoing in the halls.

Xaldin, having had to raise his arm to block the worst of the heat from his face, grit his teeth. A deep scowl settling over his face, his voice was a loud deep rumble of annoyance, "You  _Insufferable-!_ "

…

Luxord looked up from his mug as a loud yell echoed through the castle, followed by the faint feeling of heat. He glanced towards the direction he assumed the yell had come from. Blonde brow perfectly arched, "Who's gone and upset Xaldin now? Don't they know better than to anger a hurricane?"

A laughed sounded then, causing Luxord to look over to Xigbar. Seeing the Freeshooter lounged back, balancing his chair on two legs, his feet propped up on the table. "Nah, dude's with the Dark one today. Plus, Axel came back. Those two are hot headed fools." He laughed again, making finger guns as he pointed them at Luxord, grinning widely, "Bet they're up to no good and Xaldin's stuck in the middle." He made a 'pew pew' sound as he pretended to fire at his blonde companion. Grin still plastered to his face.

"Hm. She has seemed to have grown quite fond of Axel. Perhaps it is his fire?"

"Whatever it is, Xaldin's gonna let 'em have it! I'd pay to see that."

"And what do you think he would do?" Questioned Luxord, taking a sip from his mug.

"What do you think? Short of dusk'ing them, Xaldin's gonna rip 'em a new one."

A grin finally found its way to Luxord's face. His Gambler showing through, "Perhaps we could wager on it?"

Xigbar laughed so hard he had to grip his abdomen. Finally controlling himself enough to look the Brit in the eye, his expression now the epitome of serious, he said, "You're out of your goddamn mind."

…

As they neared the lounge, Xaldin strode forward, rubbing his temples with closed eyes, muttering about fire users and their insufferable habit of finding each and every one of his nerves and nearly driving him mad.

Axel and Maria strode a few paces behind him, Maria rubbing the side of her head as Axel kept his hands on the back of his, hunched over slightly as if trying to protect his head from another blow.

Hazel eyes glanced at Axel, voice pitched soft, "Maybe we shouldn't try to prank Xaldin…"

"Nah. Whatever gave you that idea?" Axel snarked, huffing slightly as he cast his own glance down to her.

"Not sure. Maybe that fact that you're head is even harder than mine?"

"Don't go pinning this on me. You started this."

"Me?" Maria recoiled, brows raised, "I pulled that shit with you! You're the one that decided to try it on the tower."

"You tried to-"

" _Enough_." Xaldin cut in, his tone leaving no room for arguments. "Or do I need remind you of what should happen if you do not behave?"

The fire starters quickly stood straight backed, tensing as they remembered all too fondly of Xaldin's wrath. Their skulls still ached from when he had caught them and slammed their heads together. "Sorry Xaldin." Came the unison reply.

The lancer sighed as they came into the lounge, muttering under his breath again.

As they came into the room, Axel took note of the soft tone of music in the air that was accompanied by pleased voices. Seeing Demyx playing his sitar while talking to Irene, her back to the group, Axel moved his gaze away and took the time to notice Saix standing over in his usual spot, going over reports like always. Only Axel knew better- and he knew that Saix was silently observing everything going on around him, even with his eyes never leaving the reports.

"Looks like everyone is taking a day off." Axel commented, moving to cross his arms in front of his chest again. He saw Xaldin looking down at Maria and turned his attention to the hazel eyed fury as well, seeing how tense her posture had become compared to their earlier easy-going camaraderie. Her shoulders were drawn taut, jaw clenched, and fists curled. Some of the color Axel had seen back in her face was gone now. Replaced by the ashen look of dread. Stepping up closer to her, he followed her wide eyed gaze. Hazel orbs focused on only one thing: the excited Light Keeper, squealing in delight with Demyx.

...

The conversation had been going rather pleasantly, Xigbar going further and further up on my smiting list. He had already creeped me out before, not to mention how much of a jerk he was about kidnapping me, but I was starting to like him less and less the more I found out about him. I was surprised how easily Demyx played and talked at the same time.

"So, what you're telling me is that Marluxia showed you around his garden…  _without_ threatening you, and Zexion and Vexen fixed your inner organs?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, pretty much… and Marluxia's never threatened me." I made a face, eyebrows knitting together as I recalled Lexaeus' words.  _He's not what he seems… but no one here is what they seem. Heck, I'M not what I seemed._ I'm not sure how to deal with his warnings, of how the people I got along with were two-faced, but while I wanted to ignore them they bothered me a little. "I know a lot of people in the Organization aren't very nice… but still."

I don't want to focus on the warnings. I remembered the memory I saw, the memory of the girl speaking with what  _appeared_ to be Mickey Mouse, but I wasn't going to trust that because I was ill and he's a freaking  _Disney_ character. It was probably some creep dressed as him and the little girl believed it to be the mouse and  _that's_ what I saw. She was kidnapped by that man, probably used and abused, and that's why she's so angry now… of course, how was I even certain that it was Maria in the first place? It could have just been a dream.

But If I focused on the warnings Lexaeus gave me... I would go insane. I would become intensely paranoid about the Organization's plans and if they really were "protecting" me. I didn't want to think about it, but even Demyx could be lying to me right now- to make it easier for the Organization to do to me what that person had done to Maria. I wanted to trust what I was being told, even if it felt off.

Because people without hearts… who are apparently  _stealing_ hearts to create a thing called "Kingdom Hearts"... want a heart of their own. And even if they plan to use me somehow, I want to do it believing we're friends. I don't want to be a weapon or… or  _tool._ I don't know the full extent of my "abilities" that I supposedly had, but I don't want to use them to hurt people.

"I want to help."

Demyx paused, staring down at me with startled eyes. "Help with what?" I sunk down in my seat at that question, pulling my knees up to my chest as I thought about how to answer.

"I… I don't know. Everyone's saying I have these powers, a-and… and I hurt Vexen earlier because I somehow  _burned_ him. I-I was just scared, but I… I hurt him. I don't want to hurt people, Demyx. I don't want to hurt anyone. I-If there's a way I can use the "powers" everyone's saying I have, and if I can use them without causing harm, I… I want to help." I turned my head, looking up at him with teary eyes. "I want to help you and everyone else get your hearts back."

He didn't say anything, merely wide-eyed and stunned. Demyx cleared his throat and looked away, a strange smile on his face. "You shouldn't tell that to me. I couldn't teach you anything even if you said that nine times. Zexion or Luxord could probably help- they're more adept in magic than I am, and the Keeper of Light is supposed to use mainly magic… all I'm good at is summoning water clones and jets of water. Wanna see?"

"You can summon  _clones!?_ " All solemness was gone, now replaced with excitement. "Yes!"

…

Xaldin's watchful stare never left Maria. He took in everything; from her tight posture and ashen face to the way she bit her bottom lip in thought, her right hand having moved to grip tightly at her left arm. Nails digging into the soft fabric. For such a strong willed woman, she seemed more like a frightened rabbit ready to run. It was perplexing yet intriguing how one child - a child who had had near to no interaction with her - could make her come so undone. It was a weakness. A weakness he was sure Xemnas would exploit if learned. And if Xaldin had learned anything in his life, it was that nothing good would come of weakness.

He noticed how Axel had moved towards her; hand hovering just over her shoulder. As if wanting to touch, to reassure her but not knowing how to do so. Lacking the  _feeling_ to do so. Xaldin saw the change in their young companion before the Flurry did. How her eyes lit up with determination. Her posture relaxed from its tense state to a more proud, focused poise.

"Maria-" Axel has began quietly just as the Keeper stepped forward, Axel's hand falling just short of her. He stared at it as if he was not sure it was there; or of what he had meant to do with it. Instead, he shook his head. Bringing his attention back to the auburn beauty. Seeing her take a few more determined steps into the room. Even gaining the full attention of Saix.

"Hey, Kid." She called loudly. Making sure to be heard over Irene and Demyx's excited conversation.

The water Nobody jumped, turning his head timidly towards the auburn fury, "Oh shit…"

Maria placed both hands determinedly on her hips, gaze never leaving the mop of brown hair that was Irene, "I'm talking to you." She said, louder now. Her voice taking on a very slight rougher edge.

Twitching, Irene turned towards her, shoulders slumped and hands fidgeting slightly, "Y-yes…?"

"Here. Now." She ordered, pointing to the space directly in front of herself.

"Don't do it." Demyx whispered, leaning in a little closer to Irene, "She's scary. Who knows what she wants?"

"I won't wait all day." Came the harsh call, making the water Nobody jerk a bit.

"S-sorry, Demyx." Irene muttered as she stood, slowly moving to stand in front of Maria. Albeit a few paces away, "Yes..?"

With a roll of her eyes at Irene's timidness, Maria stepped closer, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards her- earning a squeak from the younger girl.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Just shut up." Ordered the fury, still holding the younger's hand as she slid a dark ring onto her finger before holding Irene's hand up so that she could see what it was she did. "This is a Chaos Ring. It helps protect you against the adverse effects of Darkness. Considering you have a bad habit of doing stupid things, this ought to help you at least a bit."

Irene stared at the trinket for a long moment, letting what Maria had said sink in.  _She's...she's helping me?_

"I don't…"

Maria groaned, running a hand through her hair before crossing her arms in slight agitation, "You haven't unlocked your magic yet. That's obvious. So, until that happens, you need a little extra coddling since you're…" She gestured to all of her at that, looking for the right word but failing and opting for the blunt truth instead, "weak. You need proper training otherwise you're gonna get yourself killed."

At that, Axel stepped up, hands folded neatly behind his head, giving off an air of nonchalance, "She's right though. You keep getting yourself into some pretty tight spots. You gotta at least find your element."

"My element?" Irene asked. She thought back to Vexen, of when he asked if she could use fire magic before mumbling about how that might not be her  _true_ element.. Irene knew she didn't have magic; she couldn't. But….Maria had magic. And they were...they were siblings, right? That weird vision had to mean that. So, if Maria did, shouldn't she?

Maria glanced at Axel, trying to hide a smirk before returning her attention back to Irene, "Your affinity. It's not always considered an Element. The One before me was Gravity. Not really an element in the traditional sense, but it varies from person to person." She looked her over, tilting her head in thought for a moment before shaking her head, "I know you're not fire. You've got no heat to you whatsoever. And gravity is… a  _little_  out of your league."

"Could be wind." Axel offered.

"Unlikely." Xaldin interjected at that, coming to stand behind Axel. "I do not sense the air on her."

"You can't know that for sure!" Demyx called, gaining the gaze of the two fire starters. Making the musician squirm, "I-I mean... Vexen's even said you can't know until it happens. We didn't know I was water, remember?"

Axel shrugged, "He's got a point."

"Either way," Maria interrupted, "you're not strong enough to go wandering on your own until you have magic. And I'm not gonna keep saving your ass." Crossing her arms, the faintest set of heat radiating from her, as she made her decision, "So, until then you're gonna be following me. Got that?"

"I- w-what?" Irene squeaked, a little confused with how the conversation changed so abruptly. Her, stuck following Maria? So even now she was stuck with a guard - but not only that - now her guard was Maria? "A-are you sure that's a good idea-?"

"Certainly not." Interrupted the smooth velvety voice.

Irene heard Axel curse under his breath as Maria's determined expression turned into one of blatant disdain. She turned, looking for the source of the voice only to beam as she saw her pink haired friend.

"Marluxia!"

With a smile and a decadent wave he moved towards the Irene, all simple pleasantries and hidden rage, "Hello, little flower. I see you've acquired some unwanted company."

"Get lost, Marluxia." Axel snapped, scowling.

"I believe we should leave it up to the child, don't you think? We are  _friends_  after all."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"We are though!" Irene stated, stepping back towards Marluxia.

Maria noticed the movement, staring first at the child before training her glare at Marluxia, "Friends or no, I think you might be outnumbered here."

"You think so?" He asked, tone and expression light and friendly. But Maria recognized that gleam in his eyes. The shine of hatred and murder. This man was no easy friend. He would be cruel and manipulative if given the opportunity, and Irene was such an easy one at that. Marluxia looked over his shoulder, smile still pleasantly in place, "Would you mind joining the fun? It seems they wish to even the field."

"Fuck." Axel hissed as a tall blonde walked into the room. Her steps arrogant and eyes cruel as she walked up to them. The new woman didn't bother to try and hide her dislike of the group as she stood by her taller companion.

"I wouldn't call this fun." The stranger snapped, looking over to Axel as she raked her eyes from his head to his toes and back. Smirking as she did so, "But I'm sure I know how to make it fun."

Suddenly uncomfortable at the appearance of the blond, Irene backed up a bit- really not wanting a repeat of their last encounter. She glanced over at Maria, stopping short in her movements as she noticed the red in her eyes as she stared down the other woman.  _She's really mad…_

"Now, Larxene. Don't be coy." Marluxia chided.

With a seductive smirk at Axel, the nymph turned her gaze to Maria, a deep set glare taking its place with a savage smile, "Of course; we'll need to take out the trash first."

"By trash, I assume you mean yourself." Maria responded quickly, Hazel eyes fighting against Larxene's gaze.

"Excuse me?"

"I know you heard me."

"Oh, I'm sure I didn't. No one is that stupid."

"To what? Call it like it is?"

"I'll kill you, you little-!"

"Enough." Marluxia snapped at his companion, his mask slipping for just a moment before quickly collecting himself. He turned to Irene, the Light Keeper having backed away from both groups, standing in the lounge with unspoken fear in her eyes, "Now then, little flower. Shall we leave?" He asked, holding out his hand.

"She's not going with you." Maria snapped.

Sharp eyes turned to the fire witch, face an impassive mask of hidden fury, "I beg you repeat that."

"I said she's not going with you."

"I think we should let the child decide-"

"And I said " _No"._ " She repeated, this time with more heat in her voice. The room getting much warmer now, almost blisteringly so, as she hissed, " _We_  are going to Vexen to unlock her Mana. She needs to learn how to defend herself." Maria's eyes were cold as she looked over the two killer Nobodies. Her tone just as deadly as their gazes, "I won't stop you from following us. But if you try anything, I  _will_ kill you. Consequences be damned."

Marluxia looked her over at that, judging her, sizing her up before responding, "I find it amusing you think you could."

Maria twitched her hands, sparks dancing on her fingertips, "Considering I beat you before, while almost out of Mana might I add, I think I'd do just that."

At that retort, Marluxia made to step forward. The scent of blooming roses filling the room quickly followed by the acidic tang of storms and ozone. Larxene's killer grin broadened on her face as she got ready for a fight- a fight she was all too eager to have. It wasn't until there was a sharp tug upon the floral assassin's sleeve did he stop in his short-lived assault on the Dark Keeper. He flicked his gaze down, letting out a brief sigh as he turned to give his full attention to the little light buried against his arm- her face hidden against the fabric of his coat sleeve.

"Little one, why do you cling to me so?"

"I…" Her voice was small as she choked on her words, fingers twitching as she tightened her hold and then loosened it. Pulling her face away, the young girl looked up at him, the fear and worry clear in her eyes. "P-Please don't fight… I-I don't want you guys to get hurt."

"But if I don't respond in kind, who knows what sorts of things she'll do to you? While she is the darkness, she  _did_ make you cry. Do you really want someone like that around?"

"Sh-She won't hurt me!" Her words were uncertain as she spoke, but determination to stop the fight was gradually turning into stubbornness. "She even- she even gave me a ring to help me, s-see?" Holding her hand up, she revealed the chaos ring on her finger. "S-So, no fighting! P-Please…?"

"Oh my god,  _seriously_?" The voice that spoke wasn't Marluxia- instead coming from Larxene. The blonde turned her irritated gaze onto the brunette, watching as she flinched in response to the glare. Yet, oddly enough, despite how terrified she was Irene did not move to hide further behind Marluxia- she merely stood her ground, frightened eyes meeting the blonde's angry ones. "What is your _issue!_? If you get in my way I'll strike you down first, brat! I still owe you and  _that one_ -" From the couch, a small yelp could be heard from Demyx as lightning crackled in his direction, Larxene's acid glare focused on him now. "-for the incident in the kitchen!"

"Th-That was…" Irene's voice cracked and she flinched at the sound, but swallowed down the lump in her throat and took a deep breath before speaking again, Marluxia's eyes narrowing as he turned to stare down Larxene. She knew he was still cross with her for attacking the Keeper of Light last time- and yet now she was blatantly threatening her in front of him? They needed the young girl for their plans. "That was b-because you were bullying Demyx! I-It's not nice bullying people, you know? E-Even if you d-don't have hearts, it… it's still mean!"

"Oh,  _puh-_ lease! Save me the lecture." The blonde rolled her eyes, scoffing as she placed a hand on her hip. "Sweetie, come on- does it  _look_ like I care? Do I even have the capability to care? Uh,  _no_. Get it through your thick little skull before I decide to mar that cute little face of yours."

Heels clacking against the ground, Marluxia raising his arm and placing it in front of the small girl and pushing her gently behind him, Larxene stopped in front of her and scowled. She saw the action- she knew Marluxia was "angry" with her- but at the moment Larxene wasn't bothered by that. She was just sick of this whiny…  _child_ getting in her way all the time.

"I. Don't. Take. Orders. From.  _You_. M'kay?"

"Larxene." His voice was calm, quiet,  _authoritative_. The woman scoffed and flickered her wrist in the air, taking pleasure at the sight of the girl flinching, but couldn't help the memory that was annoyance settle inside her at the knowledge that the girl didn't back away because she was scared of her- Irene backed away because Marluxia made her. "You're scaring her."

"I didn't make her cry yet, did I?" She dismissed, scrunching her nose up in distast at Irene and then at Maria who was watching contemplatively, her eyes narrowed in suspicion and calculation. Maria had obviously grown tired of this little game.

Clearing her throat slightly, Maria placed one hand on her hip, the other gesturing towards the door, "If you're finished, sparky?" She mused, her tone barely hiding her sarcasm.

With a roll of his eyes, Marluxia waved a graceful hand towards to door; purposefully standing between the now fuming Larxene and the Keepers. No matter how much the hazel eyed one irritated him, he needed to keep her  _mostly_  unharmed if he was to use his little puppet. As he moved, he kept his eyes locked on the still scared Irene, "Shall we then?"

Irene nodded, still clinging to Marluxia's arm as the Assassin used his free hand to wave at the doorway. Clearly stating "Your move" without ever having to speak.

Maria didn't bat an eye at the obvious jab, instead, she turned with determination. Striding toward the door with purpose as she passed by Axel and Xaldin. With a quick glance over his shoulder Axel waved towards the still slightly cowering water user, "Yo, Demyx. You coming or what?"

Letting out a light squeak, Demyx jerked into a standing pose. Slumping in on himself a bit after the initial shock of the matter with a quiet mumble, "How do I always get pulled into these things?"

"Demyx, let's go!"

"R-right!" He stammered, taking off after his flaming friend. Being sure to give a timid smile at Irene even as he hurriedly tried to rush past the killer Nobodies as fast as he could.

This would be an interesting little field trip.

…

The tension in the hallway as the group walked was so thick that Xaldin wouldn't have even needed his spears to cut it. It was crackling with heat and electricity. The blonde fury glaring holes into Maria's back from where the brunette walked alongside Axel and Xaldin, the former promptly ignoring any remarks sent their way. Per Marluxia's orders, she walked a few paces behind himself, trying to keep his puppet at ease.

Demyx stood behind Axel, being sure to glance at Irene occasionally despite his obvious discomfort. The small girl walked alongside Marluxia, having to move a bit faster so as to keep up with the larger man's stride. Still clinging to his arm as though, if she didn't, he would surely break out into a deathmatch with her sister. Her apparently angry,  _murderous_  sister.

The poor girl's thoughts were going wild:  _Wh-What do I do? What if they break out into a fight? I'm not strong enough to stop them, I-I can't even- oh gods, what if-_

"Irene."

The short, clipped sound of her name coming from pale lips jarred her from her thoughts. Twitching and holding tighter to Marluxia's arm as she jerked her head towards the source of her name. Seeing bright hazel eyes glancing over a red clad shoulder at her. Maria waved her hand as if to motion her up to her, calling her forward and away from Marluxia. Away from the one thing she was trying to do to stop a potential fight.

_Freaking flubber cracker mutts… ._

"Relax. I'm not gonna fight princess, there. I need to talk to you." Maria called easily, not stopping in her stride.

Gulping past the newly formed lump in her throat, Irene glanced up at Marluxia for assurance. His calculating expression searching the auburn girl for answers; however not being able to find what he sought. Instead, with a light sigh, he turned a gentle smile to his timid charge.

"It is fine. I am right here should you need me." He assured as he ruffled her hair with his free hand.

More at ease, Irene had nodded. Letting go of Marluxia - although reluctantly - as she made her way up next to Maria, barely noticing that Xaldin had moved so as to give her space to walk beside Maria. She fidgeted with her sleeves as she strode beside Maria, noticing she never took her eyes off of the corridors before them. Never letting anything jump out at them. Always ready. Always prepared.

 _H-Has she always lived so… scared?_ Irene thought, struggling for the right word, before twitching as bright hazel eyes turned to her sharply. The short girl realizing that Maria had been talking to her, "W-what?"

"I said, how are you feeling? Now that you're not drowning in your own lungs."

"I...I can breathe now. Like, actually breathe." She muttered, seeing Maria look away at that. Turning her own gaze and glancing down at the floor as they walked, "I-it was actually kinda weird at first. I didn't really know how to handle it. Zexion was like, 'oh. We fixed you.' and I was like, 'okay. That's cool. Wait, what?'" She explained, fidgeting more with her hands and sleeves as she explained how Zexion and Vexen had dropped the news of them having completely revamped her organs.

Maria had a hard time fighting her smile at Irene's ludicrous explanation, the expression new and difficult to hide. "In other words, you're a completely healthy teenager."

"Yeah. I guess so." She mumbled, pushing her glasses back up a bit from where they had fallen down the bridge of her nose.

"And what about your pain?"

"Huh?"

"Your pain." Maria had asked, raising a hand to point at the center of her own chest, eyes going distant, "Your heart. You've been surrounded by darkness for some time now. Not to mention being near me." She said, casting another glance over at her, "You may not have noticed, but your heart was filled with darkness. Trust me when I say that that hurts."

"Well…" Irene trailed off before her sentence has even truly formed. Thinking back on it, she was in a lot less pain than before. Almost no pain actually. Which is odd. There's always been a pain of some kind, even if it was only mild. But now, she felt light. Almost eerily so. And it was kinda creepy to notice, "I don't hurt at all…"

A slight hum to her left was her only response to that for a long moment. Waiting to see what else Maria would say. After they started to descend another staircase, she wondered if she would say anything or if she could move back to Marluxia. She had just started to slow her stride when the other finally spoke, voice so soft that she almost didn't hear it.

"Do you still have the pendant?"

Irene was so confused by the question she didn't even notice Axel's posture tense at the mention of the pendant. "The what?"

"The pendant. I had given it to you when Axel and I got to Zexion." Maria turned her gaze back over to her when no answer came. Brows knit together, perplexed, "I had given it to you to stave off your pain and help stabilize you." The expression in her eyes turned to one of panic despite her calm face when Irene only shook her head, "You lost it?"

"You mean that Diamond thingy?" Came a slightly terrified but mildly curious voice. The sudden question caused a sharply pointed glare to shoot back at the water Nobody, making him squeak.

"You. You're...Demyx, right?" Maria asked, stopping just outside a large door to face the musician.

"Y-yeah?"

"Alright Demyx. Where's the diamond?" She asked, crossing her arms. She could feel Axel sigh beside her, the woman electing to ignore the irritation of her red-haired companion.

"I-it's a metal thing. Right? I went to visit her once while Vexen still had her locked up in the lab." He rubbed the back of his head slightly, growing in confidence when her glare didn't deepen but instead remained a steady curious gaze. "I saw it once, on the floor. I think it fell off her shirt. So, since she was sleeping, I put it in her pocket."

"Her pocket?" Maria and Axel asked, slightly dumbfounded that the little girl had never thought to check her pockets.

"Um…" The sudden bursting open of the doors behind them, followed by the chilled gust of icy air, swept anything Irene would have had to say away. Eyes lighting up at the sight of the cold - yet slightly manic - scientist.

"What are you all doing, yelling about out here?!"

"Vexen!" Irene called excitedly, running up to him with a broad smile despite his flabbergasted guffaw at his name being said in such a shrill pitch. Though she had been previously frightened of Vexen, her time in the lab did dim down her fear of the scientist as he had not made any move to truly experiment on her- even  _if_ he did threaten her. A little scary, yes, but not nearly as frightening as Larxene.

He was also far too lanky to be a fighter, so she wasn't really worried about him getting into a battle with Marluxia or Maria. Confusion quickly etched itself onto her face and she peered into the lab as best as she could without moving her body, trying to catch a glimpse to see if a certain scientist and his giant companion were inside.

Looking back up at him, Irene gave an awkward wave. "Hi!"

Vexen's eye twitched in response, wondering if mood swings were common for the child. "...Greetings. For what reason have you all decided to gather- very loudly, might I add-  _outside of my lab?_  The girl is fixed!" His eyes flickered to Maria, curiosity growing quickly. Now that they were both in the same place and he could get a proper look at her, he was mildly surprised to see that she and Irene  _did_ have a resemblance. "Unless  _you're_ here for a check-up…"

"Easy there, Killer Frost," Maria retorted with a scoff, "my ticker works  _just_ fine."

"Killer-  _no_. I won't even bother to stoop to your level. Now, tell me- if you aren't here due to illness or for a check-up, then  _what_ reason are you here for?"

Maria raised a brow at his obvious dismissal, rolling her eyes, "You're a Scientist, right? And the other one is fluent in Mana, unless that fight was all a lie." She stepped up beside Irene, arms crossed and stance determined, not willing to take no for an answer, "You're going to unlock her affinity."

Acid green eyes stared back at her as though she had grown two extra heads, "Excuse me?"

"She needs to learn how to access her magic. You and the Bookkeeper are going to help her unlock it."

"You presume to demand me to do this? I just fixed the girl; I see no reason why I need further help her!"

"You're doing it because you owe me."

"I beg your pardon?" Vexen snapped, aghast.

"You attacked me, when if you had just talked to me I probably would have followed. And, for the record,  _I_ fixed her." Maria shot back, venom now lacing her voice as her hazel eyes bled over to red, " _I_  pulled the darkness out of her heart. Without me, your little potions wouldn't have worked. And then your Xemnas would have had your hide. You  _owe_ me."

At that sheer determined rage of words Maria assaulted Vexen with, the hall grew silent. Acid green and ruby red glaring each other down. Neither willing to relinquish control.

And then the sound of slow applause rang through the hall, jolting both out of the staring match. Both turned to look at the source. Red eyes turning hazel as anger led to confusion, while green grew darker in disapproval at the scene.

Marluxia, leaning against the opposing wall, soft and friendly smile with a fierce determined gaze, stood giving slow applause at the scene before him. All calculating stares and fake nonchalance. He pushed away from the wall easily as he made his way to stand before the two smaller beings.

"I must say, I am impressed. You have outmatched our resident scientist. And so boastfully." He leaned down to her, his grin turning more manic now that it was out of Irene's line of sight. His voice dropping to a mere whisper so only the two could hear, "One might think you actually care about the child. A shame the darkness has no heart."

The glare that Maria leveled Marluxia with was enough to make even Vexen take a step back. Poor Irene, trying to move forward to see what caused Vexen's sudden retreat, was greeted only by the soft and friendly smile of the Flower user and her…  _sister's_  unimpressed stare.

_Why do I feel like I just missed something… again?_

"If we're done with the pleasantries," Maria snapped, eyes darting back to Vexen, "You. Unlock her affinity."

"Why you insolent little-"

" _Again_ , Vexen?" A familiar velvet voice interrupted, stepping out of the lab door with an irritated blue eye. "And with a  _horde_ of members? Honestly, what did you do to upset the Light Keeper  _this_ time?"

"It's not the Light Keeper, it's the  _Darkness_ Keeper!" Vexen snapped in response. "She keeps threatening me!"

"Then perhaps… you should defend yourself?" Zexion retorted calmly, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly. He turned his gaze to stare at the Keeper of Darkness, unsurprised by her appearance due to his heightened sense of smell and from having heard yelling from when he was inside the lab. His single eye sharpened intently as he stared down at the woman that threatened to stand at his height, her hazel eyes flickering red and black- the woman ready to attack if things didn't go as planned. Looking down at the most innocent and gullible of the bunch, startled brown eyes met azure. "Light Keeper…"

"I-Irene?" She stammered, still determined to get him to call her by her name. He had used it once before, so why wasn't he now? Maria turned to look down at the girl, taking note of her stiff posture and how her attention was instantly caught by the scientist. "Uh, p-please…?"

"...Why are you here? Did we not just relieve you from the lab? You're well, aren't you?" She certainly smelled of perfect health- and overwhelming light. It was such a strong smell it was nearly unbearable. The only sight of injury was the dried cut on her cheek. Zexion watched as Irene fidgeted awkwardly, glancing up at Maria and Marluxia, and then at Demyx as she struggled to come up with a proper response.

Larxene was fuming in silence all the way at the back, itching for a fight but not willing to make Marluxia mad for the third time in a week. Xaldin had his eye out, focusing on the conversation at hand and as ready as Axel to summon their weapon in case the twelfth member of their Organization decided to do anything that would harm either of the keepers.

"Y-Yeah, I- I feel great, actually," Irene finally managed to speak, her anxiety shooting up to incredible heights due to all the tension and bloodlust in the air, "w-which is thanks to you, so thank you again, b-but, uh…"

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she cast another nervous glance up at Marluxia who just gave her a gentle smile.

"M-Maria…" Irene let out a sigh. "I wasn't going to go back to the lab for a while. W-When Marluxia picked me up we hung out for a bit, but then I ran off and-" In a split second, the girl made the decision not to bring up the dusks.

The girl could tell the slate-blue haired scientist later, but right now she felt a little uncomfortable at the thought of all these people knowing something like that. According to Demyx, the "Keeper of Light" should not have any control over any kind of Nobody, whereas the "Keeper of Darkness" had control of Heartless. A part of Irene wondered if Maria  _knew_ she had control of the Heartless, but with how powerful she seemed… she most likely did.

And Marluxia… if the dusks actually bothered him… Irene really didn't want to make him angry. She knew the one actually showed her the way to where Demyx was, but she had no idea about the others. Not to mention the fact that both Larxene and Axel were here… and she didn't really know or like Xaldin enough to let him overhear. And Maria…

She was still at a loss over Maria.

"-found Demyx." Irene finished her sentence, fiddling her sleeves. "We were talking a-and then Maria showed up… and then she and Marluxia started to argue, a-and then Larxene showed up-" The blonde in question narrowed her acid colored eyes at the brunette, glaring her and only turning her stare away when a certain pink-haired man turned to look at her. "-and I got them to stop fighting, but then Maria had us come here to find you a-and Vexen because she wanted… to… unlock my… affinity?"

During the rant, Zexion had brought a hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache began to form. However, he had spent two days listening to her ranting and knew that- while a lot of it was nonsensical- there was some valuable information she let slip. How she knew details about other worlds was something he  _definitely_ needed to inquire about when he had the time.

"O-Oh! Also!" Irene exclaimed, realization hitting her when she figured out she forgot to say something. Holding her hand up for Zexion to see, she pointed at the ring. "Maria gave me this!"

No one said anything, merely taking in all that she said, and after the long silence Demyx was the one who spoke.

"For someone who had breathing troubles… you have a  _lot_ of air."

"Maybe 'cause she's an  _airhead_ ," Axel suggest, scratching his chin in thought, "she did run at me when we first met.  _And_ picked multiple fights with Larxene."

"Do you have something you want to say to me,  _Axel_?" The feisty blonde growled, stepping closer with sparking fingers. The redhead held his hands up in response, as if to defend himself, though the smirk on his face said that he wouldn't mind battling her if a fight did break out.

Xaldin, seeing where this was headed, brought a hand up to his forehead and sighed irritably. "Honestly, you two- act more befitting of a member of this Organization. You bring shame to us all."

"Shut it, whirlwind," Larxene growled, acid green eyes glaring up at him from the side, "I'm not afraid to take you on either."

"Now, now," Marluxia began, stepping forward and extending an arm out gracefully towards the blond, "let's not create a mess, Larxene. We're here for a reason, are we not? I'm rather  _curious_ as to what the girl's element will be. With her fondness of flowers perhaps-maybe- it will be similar to mine?"

Irene, who had still been focused on Zexion and trying to figure out the best way to bring up the topic of the dusks and  _when_ , blinked when she realized she was being spoken about. Turning her head, she craned her neck and looked up at the pink-haired man. "Hah?"

He smiled politely at the girl, something sinister lying beneath the kindness of his gaze. "Perhaps I could be the one to train you if that is the case?"

"O-Oh… uh, sure?" She was still a little confused about the meaning of an "element", but she was starting to get a decent idea. Her main concern was whether or not she  _would_ actually be able to use magic. "Th-That'd be nice…"

Sure, there was the point in case of where she had  _burned_ Vexen's hand earlier, but that was only because of Maria's interference, wasn't it? What if Irene wasn't able to use magic at all without her help? If she couldn't be of any use… would they kill her? They had no qualms about attacking her friends- er, rather, Axel and Xigbar did.

Zexion was the only one who hadn't attacked her. He was the one who who actually  _helped_ her; he, Lexaeus, Demyx… they were the only ones who hadn't caused her to doubt as of yet. Even Marluxia, as nice as he could be, caused something unsettling to toss about in her stomach. The way he acted whenever she had tried to speak about their hearts… it bothered her.

But Zexion, Demyx, and Lexaeus had been honest so far.

And, if trust would ever be brought into question, the scientist that saved her definitely was the one that she trusted most. "U-Um, I have… I have a question though." Everyone who had thought she was going to still be speaking to Marluxia was put in for a surprise when she turned to face the slate blue-haired scientist. Soft brown eyes met cold inquiring blue. "H-How will we be… um, "discovering" my "affinity? I-I don't know the first thing about magic a-and what happened with Vexen had been…"

The girl trailed off, guilt taking over her features as she began to fiddle with the ring on her fingers. A small shiver racked through her body, brought on by the cold and the lack of long sleeves covering her arms. Anxiety prickling away at her, she turned her gaze nervously back to Zexion.

"That had been an accident."

"Wait, what happened with Vexen?" Axel spoke up, confused as to what they were talking about. He knew a lot of things had been happening around the small child, but now there was apparently something  _else_ going on as well? Maria and Marluxia's attention were caught as well, both curious and intrigued. "Did you piss him off, too?"

Demyx wasn't very surprised, Irene having told him earlier, but it did make him wonder how many fights the defenseless girl had gotten into since entering the Castle That Never Was.

Irene didn't answer, looking too ashamed of herself to even look at them. Instead her gaze focused on the ground. Tired of the situation at hand Vexen spoke up with a sigh, running his fingers through his long hair. "There was an incident upon our first meeting. I scared the child and she burned my hand in response; nothing a simple potion couldn't heal. I believe the Keeper of Darkness' influence at that time had something to do with it."

"Influence?" Maria questioned, voice lowering as she turned her sharp gaze to the small child. Irene flinched at the hard stare, wondering if it was too late to hide behind someone. "Child.  _Explain._ "

"I-I don't know-"

Knowing full well the girl would not have the answers, Zexion interrupted. "Due to the separation of both halves the two were weakened. However, due to the difference in the worlds they lived in the intensity of each illness was different. From simple deduction, it is safe to conclude that the Keeper of Darkness' condition was lessened due to her exposure to the abundance of magic. As such, the production of mana wasn't weakened, allowing her to condition her body to potions and healing remedies, and therefore caused less risk to her body.

"As for the Keeper of Light… she was living in a world where magic did not exist lest it come from the outside, and as such her body- which would have been producing large amounts of mana, essentially contaminating and poisoning her body in a magicless world, and would have been struggling to protect her from the curse of the separation- had her magic locked away. This in turn led to her condition becoming near-fatal, for after the Keepers first meeting the sleep they both fell into unlocked multiple things. The meeting had reconnected the chains that had once been separated, but also unlocked the magic hidden with the Light Keeper."

"And?" Marluxia prodded, frowning. "You make that sound like a bad thing."

"I'm  _getting_ to that." Zexion scowled, sighing as he rested his index and middle fingers lightly against his nose. "The Keeper of Light's body had become so accustomed to living without magic that when the lock came unsealed and the mana began to flow it merely started to make things worse. However, when she became under immense stress- such as when she had fallen ill and we had to take her into the lab- she had been able to produce magic. Vexen and I believe - that when she had first used the magic to release his hold on her - that the Keeper of Darkness had inadvertently influenced her. For the spell she had used wasn't any magic befitting of her- as it was  _fire_." He trained his piercing gaze onto the Keeper of Darkness, focus locked on the woman as he continued, "And fire is the element you use most.

"Also, from what we had gathered from the data taken during the examination, some of the illness had also been hereditary; so the Light Keeper had not only darkness eating at her heart without the protection of self-produced mana, but also the curse of horrible genetics."

Irene blinked, stunned by the long speech and staring at the man with a strange look of awe, while Maria was standing in silence, an intense look of heavy thought on her face.

"Well…" Axel spoke, breaking the quiet, " _damn_ , kid. No wonder you nearly died."

Zexion nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Since the time where she had burned Vexen's hand, the only magic the girl had been able to produce was when she had- once again- been under immense stress and made a portal of pure light. That was what led me to search for Lexaeus in order to bring the girl to the lab."

So it  _was_ Lexaeus that had carried her. Irene knew it had to have been him; Zexion didn't seem too physically strong- nor like the kind of person that  _would_ actually carry someone. Save for the kidnapping and how he had somehow managed to sling her over his shoulder to get her out of the dark corridor faster, though he  _did_ end up greatly out of breath afterwards.

The majority of the incident was a bit of a blur, but she did remember being thrown onto a couch by him after nearly blacking out in the corridor.

"Wait, hold on." Maria interrupted, expression even sharper than earlier. Irene continued to fiddle with her ring, but didn't hide away despite the urge to when Maria stared her down. "You made a  _portal?_ The  _hell_ , child?" It had taken years before Maria had managed to make a portal of her own, but Irene- who had just gained access to her powers- was already able to use such a powerful spell?

Although he did say that it was under great distress... and, thinking on it, she had a lot of magic stored up from over the years just  _waiting_ to be used.

Rather than appearing impressed or surprised, Larxene simply snorted at the words the young scientist said and placed a hand on her hip. "Wow. Let's not give her too much credit now; the kid can't even walk through a dark corridor by herself. She'll still die- even if she's the "Keeper of Light". She's not exactly threatening."

Demyx took a step back at her words, a strange look crossing his face again as he remembered the encounter in the kitchen. Axel nodded his head in reluctant agreement, knowing Larxene had a point. Irene had never  _actually_ used her magic of her own volition; it had been self-preservation from desperation that had led to it.

"If we consider the level of magic she used," Zexion started, remaining in a thoughtful pose as he crossed his arms fully over his chest, "it's safe to assume that once she's been trained she could be a very powerful mage. We all, or rather the majority of us, have already witnessed the strength of the Keeper of Darkness  _while_ she had been wounded- and she was clearly well trained. It's just a matter of having the Keeper of Light fully  _releasing_ her magic and drawing forth her chosen weapon. She could be a very valuable asset to us given time…"

Xaldin raised an eyebrow at that, violet eyes narrowing as he stared at the young man, questioning what it was he was scheming. "You are suggesting we teach her to fight? The Superior's orders were to keep her  _safe_ \- not to toss her into battle."

Zexion closed his eyes at that, letting out a sigh. "I'm not suggesting anything of the sort, Number Three. The Keeper of Light was made to  _heal_  others, and as such she would be quite proficient in magic. The girl clearly despises hurting others; so why should we not use her talent to  _help_ the organization?"

Irene's eyes lit up upon hearing that. So there  _was_ a way she could be useful to them! She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get out even one word Maria's voice broke through the air, voice harsh and cold as stone.

" _No._ "

At that single syllable, everyone froze. Confused eyes focused on the wielder of darkness and Irene stared up at her, not understanding why this woman kept trying to make decisions for her. Yes, they might be sisters and, yes, she was obviously older than her, but they barely knew each other. Why was she suddenly trying to take control of her? "Wh-What? Why not? If I  _can_ help, then-"

"But you don't know their true  _goal_ , do you?" Maria growled, stepping closer until she was hovering over the girl. "How did you  _get_ here, Irene? Was it willing or did they kidnap you? Drag you? Or did you happily bounce along after them, ready to please? You didn't even know magic was  _real_. Do you even understand  _what_  it is you even are?"

…

I stared up at her, eyebrows knitted together and disbelief etched on my features. It was difficult trying to recall Xemnas' speech from the first day, but I did my best. "I… I know I'm supposed to help keep balance- to… to protect the hearts of man, or something like that. A-And they want to…"

I could see Demyx stiffen out of the corner of my eye and I remembered what he had told me. He had told me that they wanted to regain their own hearts. That they wanted to complete Kingdom Hearts.

"They want to protect us." I settled on, though I still questioned whether or not that was true based on the actions of several members. Only a few have kept that true- those members being Demyx, who had saved me from Larxene, Lexaeus, who had saved me from a rogue dusk, and Zexion, who had cured me of my illness. I met the woman's gaze, intimidated by the way her gaze bore into mine, and continued, "A-And it was willing?"

Not an exact lie, nor total truth. I wasn't about to go anywhere with Axel or Xigbar upon first meeting- at least not until they started threatening my friends- but I didn't fight Zexion when he dragged me through the portal. I could feel the eyes of Axel and Zexion on me, knowing full well that what I was saying was half-truths, and that if I lacked the common sense for survival I would have ran away from them first chance.

But I valued my life and the lives of others, so I allowed myself to follow them into this castle. Even if they were lying about wanting to protect me, even if they were using me for the sole purpose of whatever mystical powers I was supposed to have, I wanted to help them regain their hearts. I didn't want to sit around uselessly day-after-day like I have been. I wanted to help.

And I owed Zexion and- regrettably- Vexen my life. Zexion twice-fold as he did stop Axel from splitting me in half and turning me into mincemeat toast.

…

Maria narrowed her eyes at Irene's hesitant admission. Her glare intensifying, "News flash kid; protecting us? That's a damn fairytale you'll die by believing."

"Maria-" Xaldin began to interject before the young firestarter turned blazing red eyes on him.

"No. Don't even. You know as well as I do that you could go off and find the Keepers all over again. You all are not protecting us; you're  _watching_  us. Keeping us under your influence to mold and guide as you see fit." Her gaze flickered over to Marluxia briefly, the hazel over her eyes completed bathed over in burning crimson. She let her eyes fall back over to her guardian of the day, the Lancer's gaze giving away nothing to his current thoughts, "Nothing is willing here. Not with Keepers. Not with  _us_."

The tension in the air was much heavier than it had been when the group had been travelling down the halls. Fighting was simple; especially amongst this troup. But to have their heavy truths laid bare before them all? To have everything held before them and be dared to deny it? That was a different matter entirely. Shifting, Axel let his gaze rake over Maria's features, looking for the scar that allowed her to speak to harshly. The hurt that laid the truth out before her. But Maria's masks were carved in steel, not stone. And her secrets would lay buried another day.

With a sharp turn, Maria turned her heated glare back to Irene, her shoulders pulled tense and fists clenched as she stared down the smaller child. "You will not go off helping everyone you feel gives you a purpose simply because you have some preconceived misguided  _debt_  you think you have to pay. You think things through. Actually  _focus._ " She demanded, her words harsh and clipped before stepping up right in front of her, staring her down with fury before sighing quietly. Allowing some of the hazel to bleed back into her eyes as she placed a hand gently on Irene's shoulder, so as not to startle her. "You'll unlock your affinity, and from there  _I'll_  teach you the basics of magic. From there -  _after_ you've thought things through completely - you can decide if you want to help them."

When Irene spoke again, her voice was quiet. Shaky, but filled with determination and the indignation of being scolded, the short brunette raised her head and met the young woman's gaze. Her legs trembled beneath her, her fingers twitching and curling into fists to hide the tremor, but her brown eyes were strong as she pulled away from the woman's touch.

And in her eyes the colors began to change- almost mimicking the red of Maria by changing in bright white and gold. Silver slivers tangled into the soft brown, golden specks spotting the whites of her eyes. Her expression, though determined, hid the anger the magic in her eyes revealed, showing just how  _threatened_ Irene felt and how scared she was by the implications of Maria's words.

But it wasn't the fear that everyone was lying to her- no, Irene already suspected that; it was the idea that Maria had went through something  _horrible_ due to her role as a Keeper and it was that what had made her so angry a person today.

"It's not…  _just_ because of a debt." She told her, lips turned down into a frown as her expression levelled into something neutral- only the anger in her eyes betraying the uncaring look she tried so hard to portray. "It's because I want to help them regain their  _hearts_."

Irene raised a hand to her chest, fingers digging into the cloth of her shirt as she thought about how the Nobodies couldn't feel. How she was unable to hear the heart beating within Marluxia's chest. How Lexaeus, Zexion, and Demyx told her repeatedly that they were merely  _mimicking_ emotions.

"Not… being able to feel is… terrifying; don't you think?"

She looked up at the woman, silver-and-gold eyes misty with tears. Her voice cracked as she spoke, struggling to imagine what it must be like in their shoes. How it must be to not feel anything at all. To have no heart. To know that the only reason you existed was because someone else had died.

"I-If I have…  _powers_ that can… help them regain emotions, th-then I  _want_ to help! Sure, some of them are scary, b-but the others are trying to be nice! I-It's probably really hard doing that when you only have memories to rely on, but they're  _trying_. I-If I can help them enough to give them that chance of getting a heart back, I-"

" _No._ " The girl flinched, words dying on her tongue the moment Maria spoke up again. "You are not  _thinking_." Maria was a little startled to hear about their predicament, but that merely led into confusion as if they lacked hearts how had they kept their humanoid form? Axel called themselves "Nobodies" before- were they somehow related to the Heartless? Or was it a lie concocted to reel them into their plans? "We'll deal with that later-  _after_ you have started training and  _after_ we get the full story."

Her eyes flickered around the group, observing their reactions to the argument. She knew that there were twelve members, but for some reason only Axel and Xaldin kept getting assigned to her. Perhaps it was because their affinities were best suited to her, but this girl seemed quite attached to the blond-Demyx, the bookkeeper- Zexion, and the assassin-Marluxia. Two of the three were obviously the most cunning of the entire organization, so manipulating the girl to their whim must have been quite easy.

And as much as Maria enjoyed Axel and Xaldin's company… she knew from deductive reasoning that they were only telling her what she  _wanted_ to hear. Not what she needed to hear.

Not the truth..

She turned her crimson gaze back to Irene, the black flooding into the white - briefly - in reaction to Irene's own before completely returning back to their natural hazel state. "You unlock your magic. We train. We get the  _whole_ story." She let her eyes shift over towards Axel and Xaldin as if in challenge then, " _All of it._ " Directing her attention back at Irene, she finally unclenched her fists. Trying to show a sense of compromise to the smaller girl, "And then you can make Your decision."

The girl hesitated, as if still wanting to argue her case, the decision she had made when in the lounge minutes back, before slowly nodding and stepping back. "O-Okay…" Irene twitched slightly as a hand was suddenly jerked out in front of her, blinking in alarm at the red clad arm.

"We shake on it. A mage's bargain." Maria stated firmly, eyes leaving no room for argument.

"...F-fine, but my decision probably isn't gonna change."

"As long as it's an  _informed_  decision, I don't care. But you're going to be smart about it."

"Okay…"

"Shake on it." She said again.

Irene eyed the hand hesitantly, worrying her lip between her teeth before slowly reaching out and clasping Maria's hand in hers. Feeling a surge rush up her arm at the contact, she nearly jerked her hand away from shock.

"The deal is set." Came Maria's soft voice before her tone returned to it's rough nature, eying the two scientist sternly. "Now, bookkeeper, ice Mage; get to work."

Zexion and Vexen both looked at her with cold, unimpressed stares. Neither cared for her attitude nor the way she was trying to pull the Keeper of Light out of their clutches. With an irritable twitch of the brow, Zexion extended a hand out and gestured to the lab doors, gaze focusing on the more…  _amiable_ of the two keepers. "This way."

Irene, like a deer-in-the-headlights and greatly unnerved by all that was happening around her, awkwardly shuffled over to the younger scientist as she made her way over to the lab door. Zexion started to follow, but Vexen, who was already quite miffed from everyone's presence, focused a mad-eyed stare at Maria, his voice full of arrogance and speaking as though the young woman was but a mere child,

"We will begin when the girl is ready-  _not_ by your whim. The process will take time as it depends solely on that broken child's will; you ought not push us too far if you want the procedure to  _begin."_

"I'll push you as much as I'll  _need_ to," Maria hissed, stepping closer to the older man. Larxene snickered in the background, standing close to the smirking Marluxia, and Xaldin lowered his head with a deep frown. The Keeper of Darkness continued, unperturbed of the dark glare being sent her way by the mad scientist, "so long as it means  _that one_ can defend herself against those who only want to  _use_ her. Besides, I sure as hell know a  _lot_ more about the procedure than you do-  _I_ actually went through it. So fuck off."

"Being  _used_?" Vexen repeated, intrigued by her choice of words. A smirk dawning on his face, he raised a hand up to his chin and mused, "Is that what had happened to you? You were taken by will and used for your powers? Not  _all_ are your enemies, child, so you shouldn't be so ready to fight those who are aiming to be comrades-in-arms."

"I am  _not_ a child!" She growled, eyes flickering with red once more as her fingers twitched- anxious and ready for battle once more. Her nerves were on end, the heat slowly starting to spread through her veins as she resisted the urge to burst into flames. "I'm clearly older than your librarian of an assistant over there, so I suggest you  _watch your mouth._  So back the fuck off before I make you."

At that, Maria felt a long fingered hand grasp her shoulder. Turning sharp eyes to match shining emerald, Axel's hand squeezing lightly, "Hey, maybe we should focus on the kid, huh?"

Maria sighed, letting out a slight 'tsk' sound before turning back to move past a fuming Vexen into the lab. Looking up just in time only to watch as Zexion rested the tips of his fingers against Irene's forehead. A flash of white light and then the girl was falling, collapsing into his arms without so much as a grunt even after he had Lexaeus- who had been in the lab the whole time- pick the girl up and place her gently on the table. Within seconds there were flames- a fire that of which Demyx quickly doused by spouting water from his hands- and then Zexion's back was pressed against a counter.

Pale fingers at his throat, the young scientist was unperturbed by the glare reigning down on him. The fury could feel something akin to a blade against the side of her neck, and out of the corner of her eyes she could make out the sight of a heavy weapon. A weapon that belonged to Zexion's guardian and protector, Lexaeus. Darkness danced out from Maria's shadows, ready to strike at the other members who- save for Demyx- had weapons drawn and pointed at her.

She had taken some of this group down before when she was only on her last bits of strength; it would be simple to get rid of them all now. She's been resting for days after all. She could take the girl and run off- train her properly and away from all of this. Teach her what the  _real_ world was like.

But then she remembered her stare- her determined, silver-eyed gaze as she spoke about helping these people. How she wanted to get their hearts back. If there was even the  _slightest_ chance of it all being true - about them being without hearts, about genuinely seeking help - Maria wanted to believe it. That maybe there were people who wouldn't use them- but she knew the chances of that were slim. Incredibly slim. She would never let her guard down for a risk like this. Not again.

Yet as her eyes rested on the young girl, laying in a peaceful sleep on the table, and as she shifted her gaze to rest on those of a reluctant vibrant green stare Maria found herself turning to look back down at Zexion and demand, " _What. Did. You. Do?"_

"I would think that would be obvious." He retorted, a hint of sarcasm on his tongue as he leaned his head back and stared down at her with cool blue eyes. "I may not have access to my own, but as a mage I have the ability to send others into their hearts. This was done to you, was it not? She'll remain asleep until she has unlocked the access to the weapon her heart designed."

Maria didn't speak, frustrated with the fact that he was right. Yen Sid had sent Maria to delve into her heart a  _very_ long time ago- though the way it had then happened was far more gentle and not nearly as dangerous.

A beat of tense silence, and then a voice broke through the tension, "...What'll happen if she doesn't wake up?" It was Demyx. His voice, though normally trembling, was oddly calm. Solemn, even. "What if… she doesn't summon her weapon?"

This was when Maria spoke, her tone nothing short of grim. "Then she'll be trapped in the abyss of her own heart." Her eyes cut into Zexion's; her gaze unforgiving, "For someone who's supposed to be so damn wise, you're a fucking fool."

"I beg to differ." The man retorted, peeling her fingers off his throat and stepping away. Lexaeus kept his weapon aimed at her, unafraid to attack should she threaten Zexion again. "That girl is not as weak as you're intent on believing. She's been fighting darkness for thirteen years- if she were to give in to something as simple as her own light there would have been no point in saving her."

Gloved fingers rubbing lightly at his neck, he turned his gaze on his giant companion. Lexaeus, seeing his gaze, cautiously lowered his weapon away from Maria and allowed it to vanish in the air.

Maria just continued to stare him down, rage boiling inside of her. "No point in  _saving_  her?" Maria balked, hands coiling into fists at her side, uninhibited anger evident in her tone, "She  _defended_ you. Practically gleams when you speak, and you would have just let her die if you thought she was a waste of time, wouldn't you? I don't think she's  _weak_." She spat, her shoulders drawn taut and teeth clenched tightly. She no shift in Zexion's gaze as he stared her down all through her retort; not when her eyes bleed into black and crimson, and not when Axel tried to slowly ease his way behind her. No, she knew Zexion didn't care for emotional reactions. He only cared for logic; and it was that that led her to her next statement. His  _lack_  of understanding.

"You think it's only the act of facing one's heart to release their magic? Gods, you're as bad as the damn Heartless. It's not the act of  _falling_ , it's the act of  _finding_." She gestured to the child with a wide wave of her arm, "To find one's own, you need peace of mind! To be centered with oneself. You just sent her into her heart completely unprepared, not giving her peace of mind! Her heart is in  _turmoil_ and  _chaos_ right now and you just sent her into the thick of war!"

"She'll survive."

"No, she won't!" Maria snapped.

"Her will is stronger than you think."

"Her will means nothing if her  _heart_  fails!" She retorted before letting out a low growl, shoving Zexion out of the way and moving towards the girl with determination. Smooth leather quickly grabbed her forearm, stopping her before fire erupted about her arm. Her fury doing no good against the crimson haired flurry holding her back.

"Think this through, kid. What are you even going to do?" He argued, brows knit together in what Maria could only describe as concern.

With a rough yank on her arm, she broke free from him, words cutting like knives across the room, "More than you."

Axel could only watch as the shadows writhed about her feet, wrapping her legs in liquid black as she placed her hands against the young brunette's temples. Realization dawned on him as she lowered her forehead to the girl's; moving to pull her back - but he moved to late. A pulse emitted from the two keepers; Maria - despite having told the girl she would no longer save her - had willingly dove into Irene's heart. Gloved hands slammed against the shimmering barrier around the two, fire flickering about the black clothed fingers, "Damn it Maria!"

"Axel…?" Demyx called, confused by the sudden situation, "What did she do?"

With a growl, Axel drove his fist into the translucent wall, "She dove."

"Dove?"

"Into the Light Keeper's heart." Zexion clarified, crossing his arms, "It seems the dark one cares more than she lets on."

"So what?" Larxene snarked, clearly bored, "If she dies in there, what's it matter? We only need the one; what's one little Light Keeper worth?"

"Evidently more than you, Twelve." came Vexen's snide comment, moving back over to his computer console to input the recent events, "Otherwise Xemnas would not have sent us to retrieve her, would he?"

"Why you sniveling old man-!"

The Savage Nymph made to charge at that, knives already dancing on her fingers before a sharp wave of rose petals burst in front of her. Causing her to train her gaze on her murderous companion, "Larxene." Came the velvet soft words. His sweet smile betraying the sheer killer intent lying behind his eyes, "Now is not the time. Let us see how this will play out, no? After all, some roots are far more stubborn to snuff out."

Huffing, the Nymph allowed her blades to crackle away to nothing, turning to leave, "Fine. But don't expect me to sit around and watch." Her words were accented by the sharp clicking of her heels as she retreated from the lab, hands on her hips as she left, "I've got better things to do with my time."

There was a collective sigh of appreciation at her departure before the group turned to the only remaining women in the room, Xaldin's rumbling voice stating what everyone was thinking but refused to say, "So now we wait. For either their awakening, or their end."

Axel turned his gaze back to the auburn haired girl, speaking in barely a whisper, "Kid, what were you thinking..?"

It was easy, the fall. To fall into your mind and all it holds.

And she was getting fucking  _sick of it._

 _Listening to some manipulative ass you just met. I swear, when this over I'll kill you myself. So wake the fuck up!_  These were the only words running through Maria's mind as she fell down into the encompassing white of the girl's heart.


	12. Of Desperation and Certainty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You speak in riddles." Xaldin stated, dislike for the blond's roundabout way of saying things becoming known. "They share a physical resemblance, yes, but their personalities couldn't be more different. The Keeper of Darkness is fire itself- and flames burn brightest in the dark."

I had followed Zexion into the lab with only the slightest bit of hesitation, concerned about what would happen in the hallway and if Maria and the other members would start fighting. I glanced over my shoulder, paranoia only growing stronger when the door closed behind us and I was unable to see what was happening.

"Keeper."

The calm montone velvet of Zexion's voice snapped me out of my thoughts- though it did little to cease my panic. My fingers twitched nervously as I looked up at him, pondering as to  _how_ exactly we were going to figure out my element. I knew very little about anything, even with the short explanations that had been given to me by some of the members. "Y-yeah?" I choked out, mentally taking note of the ginger giant leaning against the wall in the corner of the lab.

His eyes were closed as if sleeping, Lexaeus leaning against the wall with crossed arms. He remained silent as ever, and I was seriously beginning to wonder if he was Zexion and Vexen's personal bodyguard. Was he the bouncer for the lab? I kinda missed hanging out with him; he let me ramble and actually paid attention when I talked. Most people just learned to tune me out after a couple of minutes.

Though he was quiet, he was pretty darn cryptic when he spoke. I wanted to be alone with Zexion when I go to tell him about the dusks, but… I don't think Lexaeus would blabber if he heard. I was pretty sure that he and the slate-haired man in front of me were close.

_When Nobodies are created, do they look like the person who had died?_

The thought came to me randomly. They said they rely on memories- does that mean they were someone else before? If so, were Zexion and Lexaeus like… best friends before they become Nobodies? How old is Lexaeus? He has to be in his thirties, if not older. Vexen was definitely somewhere in the forties. Zexion was a year or two older than me, so… perhaps a parental figure?

Zexion speaking again caught my attention and I turned my gaze back to him. "Are you ready? Once I send you in it will be up to you whether or not you return."

"M-My name's Irene," I stammered, seriously questioning why he refused to call me by name when he had done so  _at least_ once before, "a-and what do you mean "return"? What are we even doing?"

I was briefly aware of Lexaeus opening his eyes and making his way over slowly.

"A-And-And another thing! I have a question about… about dusks?"

The shadow that was hovering over me most definitely belonged to the seven foot tall ginger behind me, but I didn't really mind. Lexaeus had made it clear that he had no intention to harm me and even went so far as to carry me around a bit to avoid me falling down anymore staircases. Not to mention how he was the one who had brought me food while I was staying in the lab,  _and_ how on the first time we met he told me I could sit in his chair at the kitchen table so I wouldn't keep standing awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen floor. He was nice.

A little intimidating and could probably break all the bones in my body without trying, yes, but he was friendly. Waving my hands about as I spoke, anxiety making me act a little more antsy and restless than usual, my hyperactive brain didn't take notice of the way Zexion's eyes narrowed and stared at the cut on my cheek. I also didn't notice how Lexaeus settled himself between me and our slate-haired companion, hovering over us both, and watching with quiet intrigue and speculation.

"I-it's… um… d-do dusks only listen to Nobodies? O-Or just the Organization in general? Or… can they listen to other people, too? How do they work?"

"They obey us, the members of the Organization, because we are a higher power," Zexion carefully explained, eying me sharply in unspoken demand for the reason of my question, "but under no means should they follow the orders of another person."

"O-Oh…" My voice went quiet and I lowered my head, a tightening in my chest as I thought about how I might have done something wrong. Swallowing thickly, scared that they might be mad at me and possibly start yelling, I began to fiddle with the chaos ring on my finger. "Demyx said that… that the Keeper of Darkness could control weaker Heartless, but… earlier I-I ran away from Marluxia and  _encountered_ some Dusks?"

The two men stared at me expectantly, waiting for me to continue.

"I-I thought they were going to attack me, but they just stood there after chasing me for a bit a-and… when I tried to talk to them they acted like they understood? I-I asked some to slow down Marluxia, a-and one latched itself onto me," I awkwardly patted the spot on my shoulder where the dusk had wrapped around my body, "and showed me where Demyx was when I asked. Demyx said Keepers of Light aren't supposed to have control over anything, b-but the dusks… listened."

When I raised my gaze to look at Zexion, hoping and praying to whatever higher beings out there that he wouldn't be upset with me, I was surprised to see only his expression of inquisition. In his mind, I had most likely been promoted from  _lab rat_ to  _test monkey_. His stare didn't bother me as much as it would have before, because his last experiment had led to me being able to breathe normally again.

Now,  _Vexen_ on the other hand is… something else entirely. He still makes me extremely uncomfortable, but as long as I had Zexion and Lexaeus on my side I don't think he would actually do anything to me.

To my relief Zexion didn't look angry, but it did leave me feeling even more confused than before. Forcing myself to speak again, dreading the continued silence that had happened after my speech, I asked, "Is… Is that a bad thing?"

I could almost see the cogs turning in his brain, the young scientist gazing at me with calculating eyes and with a new interest. Rather than bothered, it was becoming a more comforting look as it meant he was working to reach a conclusion and/or an understanding of something. In this case it was most likely to figure out why the dusks had listened to me at all.

"Whether bad or good is something yet to be discovered," Zexion settled on, his voice quiet and sharp eyes narrowed as he speculated on multiple theories within his mind, "but it does call for further research. Nine is correct on the fact that the Keeper of Darkness has the ability to control weaker Heartless- being the purest form of Darkness there is- but you, the Keeper of Light, should not have control of anything that isn't on the side of light…"

He trailed off and turned his head away to the side, briefly meeting Lexaeus' stare. I made a face, even more confused than I was before, because his lack of silence made me question two things: Was I  _supposed_ to have control over anything at all? And… was I meant to be the weaker of the two Keepers? It wouldn't surprise me if that was the case; I was never very strong in the first place.

Maria was also incredibly strong. Even if I unlocked my element and trained I would never be able to catch up to her; I was just…  _me_. I knew nothing of magic and only knew the barest parts of how to fight with a blade because of my father. I was clumsy and weak, and I probably wasn't even supposed to be able to talk to the dusks.

Light always triumphs over the Darkness, but I think… in this case… the Darkness triumphed over the Light.

I think that whatever chose me for this role I was supposed to have picked wrong. It might have gotten distracted o-or  _something_ and went into me thinking I was someone else. I don't know. I just- I can't have been meant for this. I'm grateful that I was cursed and that I might have found my sister, as unlikely as it had been, but I'm nowhere suited for this. I'm just a teenager. A kid. I was still in High School.

I worried at my bottom lip fearfully, realizing that Maria was right in one context; I had no  _real_ idea as to what I was getting into. I can cry and plead and argue all I want about how I wasn't meant for this, but the fact of the matter was that I was here. I was picked to be a Light Keeper and was brought to this castle by the Organization.

I only knew the story of how the Keepers came into creation, that there were beings called Heartless and Nobodies, and how the Organization's goal was to steal hearts in the hopes of gaining their own hearts. I don't want to hurt people, but if there was a peaceful way of getting them their hearts back without hurting others I would like to do it.

I just… I just don't understand  _what_ I'm supposed to do. A part of me is still convinced none of this is real.

"Nobodies neither reside in the dark nor the light, so the Keepers of Heart should have no control over them." Fingers curled up to his chin, azure eyes flickering with intrigue, Zexion finally spoke again. "But you… was it because you were poisoned by the dark for so long without the protection from mana, or did it have something to do with the previous Keeper of Light?"

The previous Keeper of Light…

Oddly enough, my mind went back to the continuous dreams I had whenever stressed. Of the little boy with blond hair and the dark-skinned woman he was always with. I didn't really remember much of the last dream I had aside from how the three good fairies were there and there was some backstory, but it was difficult trying to recall specific details.  _What was that dude's name again…? Michel? No… No, Michael?_ It was something like that.

Returning to the conversation at hand, I raised my eyebrows and said, "I mean… it could be? How would the previous Keeper have affected whatever abilities I have?"

"In a multitude of ways." The young scientist responded, finger tapping lightly against his nose as he thought. "It's just the process of figuring out which way it had happened. Of course, that will be rather difficult seeing as the previous Keeper of Light is now deceased."

Oh.  _Oh…._ right. Xemnas did say something like that. A Keeper has to die in order for another to be born; if I was here now… that meant there was someone before me. Head pounding a little, I raised a hand up and ruffled my hair, unable to ignore the sudden throbbing. "R-Right…"

The voice that spoke up next was not the demanding velvet of the slate-haired man beside me; no, it was deep and ironclad. "How did you receive the cut on your cheek?" I paused, lowering my hand and allowing my bangs to fall back into my face as I glanced up at the ginger giant. Lexaeus stared down at me, face as angry-looking as ever, but nothing in expression revealing any sort of "emotion".

"Cut?" I blinked, pressing a few fingers against my face in an attempt to find what he was talking about. Hand brushing against a rather sore spot, I winced and pulled away, surprised to see bits of blood on my finger. "Huh. Maybe-  _oh_ … when did I-"

A sudden memory of when the dusk had flown off my shoulder to get Demyx's attention came to me.

"Well then." Gingerly placing the back of my hand against the cut one last time, hiding a wince as I checked for anymore blood, I shrugged. "It's fine; I get hurt all the time anyway- though a cut on the face is definitely new. A-Anyway, what… what are we doing?"

Unimpressed by my dismissiveness, Zexion tilted his head to the side as he let out a soft sigh. "I am going to be sending you into your heart; through that you will be discovering your element and choice of weapon. Though as a Keeper of Light your main talent is healing, you  _do_ have an specific element tailored to your personality that you will excel in."

"Wait- choice of  _weapon?_ " I know they spoke about it before, but the word was bothersome on my tongue. The thought of actually  _wielding_ a deadly object frightened me. I knew a little about swordsmanship, dad making sure I knew what I was doing, and I was fairly decent at archery… but I didn't exactly want to use any weapon against another person. "Into my  _heart?_ The heck do you mean "sending me into my heart"? Is this a meditation thing? What-?"

"You'll figure it out."

"That's not-!" A hand reaching towards my face had me stumbling back in alarm, boundaries bursted without warning. Next thing I knew Zexion had a firm grasp of my shoulder and rested the tips of his fingers against my forehead, ignoring my obvious discomfort of the proximity. I stood there, face scrunched up in displeasure, only to have a sudden wave of exhaustion wash over me as a bright light flashed in my vision.

My legs buckled underneath me and I fell forward, the world around me turning black. There was a breeze, a warmth, and then voices as I drifted downwards into an abyss… reminding me of all that had happened in the past.

…

"Well, well, well," A voice rang out, full of amusement, a corridor of darkness opening from above the lab floor on the ceiling, "ain't this a party~?" The tense atmosphere surrounding the room only thickened as one of the oldest members of the organization appeared, landing on the ground with a practiced grace. A grin spread across his face, Xigbar stood and placed a hand on his hip. "Now, what are so many members of our Organization doing gathered in a lab?"

Axel was the first to react; his emerald green orbs narrowing into a glare, muscles tensing as if prepared for a fight. Xaldin eyed the younger member, taking a step forward and holding an arm out to stop him. The redhead was still cross over the young woman's actions to dive headfirst into the teenager's heart, knowing full well that Irene's light was stronger than ever before and that Maria's darkness was going to be falling apart within it. The closer the woman fell to the girl's heart the weaker she'll become.

And the last person the flurry had wished to see decided to make himself comfortable in the lab, walking around like he owned the place and speaking with a tone full of mockery and arrogance. Demyx took a step closer to the door, only to flinch and move behind some lab equipment when he nearly bumped into Marluxia. Lexaeus stood as still and unperturbed as always, watching the new development with hard, observing eyes.

For not long after Xigbar made his presence known  _another_ member came to join them, all curious blue eyes and amused grins. The portal closed behind Luxord as he landed beside the older member, hands shuffling a deck of cards. "What a warm welcome we've received." The gambler commented, noting how everyone was staring at them with cold eyes. Even Demyx's cheerful facade had dropped, however briefly, to scowl at the newcomers. "Why, if I didn't know any better I'd say that you all wouldn't want us in here."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Zexion commented, voice laced with polite sarcasm as he crossed one arm over his chest, the other waving in the air, "but the lab is starting to get rather crowded…"

"LIke I said," Xigbar exclaimed, waving his arms in the air and walking over the young scientist. A small grunt escaped Zexion's lips when the sharpshooter slung an arm roughly around his shoulders and nearly knocked him over in the process, "it's a party! There's, what, seven of you in here? That's half the organization! Include me and ol' gamblin' man that's nine! Plus the two Keepers of Heart who are… what?"

He looked at the two, single amber eyes noticing the way Maria's darkness had formed a protective barrier around her and the sleeping child. A faint white light appeared to be emitting from the girl, dim slivers of the light slowly trailing up Maria's hands- almost as if it were trying to purify her darkness.  _Interesting. Saix was right- she_ _does_ _have a soft spot for the little brat._

Xigbar could feel a small smirk spreading across his lips, widening as he thought of ways to use that to their advantage. "So she dove into the kid again, huh? Cute. What happened to the brat this time?"

The older man blatantly ignored the cold azure glare that was sending invisible daggers into his skull. Shrugging off his arm, Zexion took multiple steps back towards Lexaeus, speaking with a hardened voice, "The Keeper of Light came here to awaken her powers. However, the Keeper of Darkness felt the girl was not ready and dove in after her."

"One thing after another." Xigbar mused, crossing his arms over his chest. "So- any idea when they'll wake up?"

Closing his eyes, the slate-blue haired man shook his head. "It can not be said for certain. Only after awakening her powers fully and discovering her true element will she wake up- and as for the Keeper of Darkness… it could either be before the child rises or not at all, for her darkness will have been snuffed out by the light."

"Or," Vexen interrupted, glaring at Xigbar, "the child's light will be contaminated by the darkness and  _she_ will fall. Naturally, there's always the possibility of where they inadvertently destroy each other- the strength of their hearts snuffing the other out. The Keepers of Hearts have a bond unlike any other, but the two can never truly become  _one_  without overpowering each other. This is why they were split into two separate entities- a being of pure darkness and a being of pure light. Never in history has there been a meeting of the two that didn't end in utter disaster."

Axel's expression only darkened with each word the mad scientist spoke. Demyx's expression went blank, sea green eyes turning to the table to look at the girls. In his chest he knew there should be an ache- a concern or anxiety- due to what was happening and what he was being told, but all he had was the  _memory_ of that feeling. Even if his fists clenched at his sides, there was nothing inside him.

Only a confusion in his mind- the lack of understanding as to why the two Keepers went so far. Why Maria, who claimed to despise everyone and the role she had, kept going to save the one person she wanted to avoid more than anything; and why Irene, who was scared of confrontation and violence, and knew there was more to her being here than what she was told, went out of her way to defend the people that were her captors.

"I doubt it will be such an… unpleasant end," Marluxia's suave voice rang out, sending Vexen a condescending smile, "I'm sure they'll be fine. After all, the Keeper of Darkness  _did_ send you into a heavy sleep… she's not so pathetic to fall here. As for the girl… well, she has her moments." He brought a hand up to his chin, humming to himself thoughtfully. "If she can stand up to Larxene on more than one occasion I'm sure a little darkness is nothing she can't handle."

Axel's disbelieving voice cut in, the shadow in his expression still there. "Seriously? I mean, sure, she burned Vexen a little… but she was shivering like a scared rabbit earlier. You should've seen her when we first met; kid looked like she was gonna cry."

"But she didn't, did she? She even intervened earlier when the dark one was asking for a fight with Larxene and myself. You saw. You deny her tenacity?"

Luxord chuckled at the conversation taking place, pulling out two cards from his deck. Instead of the normal suits or even tarot cards, these ones had pictures of chess pieces. One was a black queen, and the other… a white pawn. "I'd say both the girls are a bit headstrong, though each in their own way. One is determined to live life as she wishes it, unbowing to the rules of others, and the other wishes for nothing else but peace, determined to adapt and live life as she knows it to be. Thirteen years they've been separated; thirteen years that they've survived. Yet, when all is said and done… are they not more alike than what we see at first glance?"

"You speak in riddles." Xaldin stated, dislike for the blond's roundabout way of saying things becoming known. "They share a physical resemblance, yes, but their personalities couldn't be more different. The Keeper of Darkness is fire itself- and flames burn brightest in the dark."

"Which again leads to the question-" Vexen spoke again, a look of deep thought on his face. "-what will the girl's element be? She was able to use fire, however weak it was, which means her element is one that is able to transmit heat."

Everyone went silent at that, pondering as to what it could be. The girl lacked the passion, the  _ferocity_ one needed to wield such flames. She didn't have the force for metal or the spark needed for electricity. Water seemed the most likely, but it didn't match up at all with what the mad scientist had told everyone.

"Perhaps she's a plant type after all?" He mused, frowning deeply at the thought. It was no surprise to anyone that Vexen and Marluxia hated each other, and the very idea that the Graceful Assassin would be the one to train the girl left a sour taste on the Chilly Academic's tongue. "Pity…" The man straightened and looked down at his fellow scientist, wondering if he would have any any better ideas. "What do you think, Zexion? You've spent more time with the girl than I have; you must have thought of something."

Azure eyes met acidic green, and the young man lowered his head in thought. He didn't see why they were all trying to figure it out when it would be revealed once the girl awoke, but it did help to pass the time. Index and middle fingers resting lightly on his nose, he recalled every meeting and conversation with the girl thus far.

She appeared fearful of many things, a few members of the organization included, but she was accepting of just as much. She had her own will and opinions on most matters, but in situations she was unfamiliar or uncomfortable with she would back down and let others take the lead. Irene was passive submissive- from the very first time they met. She wore her emotions like an open book, expressing her doubts and concerns, and yet… there were still times when she would try to hide what she was thinking, molding her expression into something a bit more neutral.

Even though she was afraid she stood against Axel, she argued with Larxene, she burned Vexen, and appeared to act as the peacemaker between Marluxia and Maria. The girl would follow another's lead without hesitation, but she would not stand for anything that went against her beliefs. Her desires. She was honest and she was loyal, timid yet strong-willed. She would defend those she believed was in the right, as proven when she stood against Maria to defend  _him_  when he suggested they use her powers to help the Organization.

Maria wasn't wrong when she said Irene looked up to him. Zexion knew the girl held more faith in him than the other members; he understood that to her he was someone she could…  _trust_. Or, rather, rely on. Unlike most of the Organizations he didn't go out of his way to pick fights, he didn't outright threaten people, and he didn't try to harm her upon first meeting. Irene confiding in him about the situation with the Dusks just confirmed what he had already known.

And as for Lexaeus- she seemed to look to him for guidance. The giant had grown accustomed to carrying the small girl around since she was so prone to accidents. Most were intimidated by him at first glance, and would still be so even after spending time with him, but the girl wasn't bothered by it. She actually behaved rather  _relaxed_ around him, something that could have been caused by his natural guardian instinct.

Back before they had lost their hearts- before they had become Nobodies- Lexaeus' other had been a castle guard. He even acted as a bodyguard for Zexion in present day when times deemed it necessary, and once Lexaeus had been assigned as an escort to Irene… the giant made it clear he was going to keep her from coming into contact with any sort of danger.

Unless, of course, Zexion or the Superior ordered him otherwise.

_She cares for Demyx and acts in a similar childish manner, but still has a calming presence similar to that of Lexaeus with a loyal nature almost competitive to his. She's compliant and is adapting to the life at the castle, but she's still grounded to the life of which she had been living. The Keeper of Light makes decisions based on her morals and uses logic to justify them. However, that logic is based around the life she had where magic did not exist._

That is why Maria claimed her heart to be in chaos. The ground Irene walked on had been shaken, and her heart- which had accepted what it was- had trouble piecing together all that was happening. Her resilience to persist as she was regardless what was happening around her has become her downfall.

_If she can win against the light and the pain in her heart, and truly accept what she is now rather than what she had been before, she'll become steady again. The ground shall become still and her mind will be strengthened._

It was staring them all directly in the face this entire time. A quiet, barely audible gasp escaping his lips as realization lit up in his expression, he turned his gaze to the girl lying on the nearby lab table. If he had to wager a guess on what she could possibility be,  _that_ would definitely be it. Opening his mouth, he let one word slip through- a word that brought the image of surprise on all faces except one.

"Earth."

...

_"This is a Chaos Ring. It helps protect you against_ _the adverse effects of Darkness."_

_"It's survival of the fittest here and it's best you learn that quickly."_

_"You apologize quite often despite us being your captors… do you not believe your attack on Vexen to be justified?"_

_"You are a being of light, surrounded by complete darkness…_ _yet stand too close to the shadows and_ _your glow will get extinguished."_

_"Be wary of those you meet."_

_"You shouldn't hold onto things too tightly, l_ _est it all fall to pieces."_

_"Why is she_ _here_ _when she didn't ever exist_ _there?_ _"_

The voices vibrated through my mind, reminding of all that was and is. Memories flashed through my mind, pulling me deeper into the black abyss that was my heart. The barest traces of wind blew by, calming and gentle, and slowed my descent. Light flickered against my eyelids, so blinding I was unable to open my eyes. I was falling, yet hadn't the slightest idea which way was down.

All I could do was listen, silent as the memories continued to flash through my mind. From the most recent, to those in the far past. Of before the Organization, before I had been attacked, and when I had first heard of Maria.

_"Who's that?"_

_"...You look just like her. Your expressions, your eyes…"_

_"But who is she?"_

_"Your big sister. Maria."_

_"...Where is she? Why doesn't she live with us? I wanna meet her!"_

_"You can't…"_

_"Why not?"_

_"Because she's gone."_

Maria. As a child she loved to wrestle with our brother, the two as close as can be. She slept wherever she could, lethargic and tired, until I was born. Apparently she was mad at me for a short time because our brother spent time with me, but then her anger died out and she liked to spend time with all of us. Her illness went away, but mine was hereditary.

And then she disappeared; it was sudden and unexpected, but I began to grow weaker and more ill day-by-day. The doctors didn't know what was wrong, nor my parents, so they could only give me random prescriptions in hope that it would help somehow. My illness didn't get really bad until Middle School, where I tried to make a new start. After mother and father had divorced, my cousins moved in with us and… the eldest of the three little ones was insane.

She ruined everything.

But then they moved out and I was able to escape, so I tried a start a new leaf. I acted more true to myself- even being noted to have left the "turtle shell" I hid behind in Elementary School, and tried to make friends.

And those friends left in High School, changing and preferring other people. Until Skylar, that is. She helped me through a lot, as I did vice versa for her, and we became close. When Xigbar and Axel showed up  _she_ was the one who stood up and tried to help me. She stopped Xigbar from attacking anyone else.

She was the only who ever truly defended me.

And now I'll never see her again. Her, Clara, Darien, my parents…

It would have been nice to see them one last time- to tell them goodbye. That I loved them. That I was okay. How I was safe.

_But I'm not safe._

I'm living in a castle where the Organization members argue and fight, tearing away at each other's flesh and blood because of petty arguments. Where they are people who had formed because of another's death; where they are people without living and beating  _hearts_.

People who bled without having the heart to bleed.

Magic, violence, hatred, and… through it all… most definite manipulation.

I was going along with all of their whims because  _I don't know_ what I'm supposed to do. I know I defended them, saying that they wanted to protect me and that the woman everyone was claiming was the sister I lost so long ago, but they were lying. Xemnas' eyes- when we first met- were far from trustworthy. Larxene had attacked me- she  _still_ wants to attack me- and Marluxia is far too nice to me.

If they really wanted to protect me, would Axel and Xigbar really have attacked the other students and then try to kill me? The only ones who have done anything resembling protection was Demyx, Lexaeus, and Zexion.

_I just want to go home._

Home, where it's safe… where my family is. Home, where I can talk to Skylar, Clara, and Darien through Facebook or text. Home, where the most I ever had to worry about was failing my math classes and when the next event for Band Class was going to be. Home, where I would continuously switch houses due to the divorce and never really settle in one place. Bouncing from place to place, everyone arguing about the other, I had no real  _place_ to call home. I had family, friends, but there was no single  _land_  that was home.

Home is where the heart is, where there are people waiting for you, and right now… I didn't have that. I just want my family. I want hugs and cuddles and burrowing under blankets, watching  _Steven Universe_ with my brother. Having Clara yell at me for crying over an anime or TV show, saying that I owed her another dollar for shedding tears, or having Dad nag me aggravatingly for something or other…

I just want  _someone_.

_"Why does she have to look so much like her!?"_

Darkness. Peering into a room lit only by a yellow lamp, mother hunched over at her desk with her face buried in her hands. Crying to herself, a phone on speaker.

_"It's all_ _there_ _…! She even draws like her, Mom. It's like the Lord is mocking me…"_

_"Irene isn't Maria… God was probably taking pity on you, giving you a child like her to help with the grief."_

_"It just makes it worse! It's been_ _ten years_ _and it still hurts. I love my children, but it hurts to look at Irene."_

_I'm sorry._ Fingers dug into a shirt, my thirteen-year-old feet backing up slowly, long hair falling into my face. I ducked my head, turning around and quietly walking away. Heading into the bathroom, I opened the cabinets and stood on the rims of the inside, trying to look into the mirror. I stared at my reflection, chocolate hair a mess and even falling into the sink.  _Do I really look that much like her?_

I was too little to remember her face. Only the barest trace of glimmering hazel eyes reached my memory, but even that was hard to imagine. Was it my long hair that reminded them of her? I didn't have any freckles and my eyes were too brown; I was a little frail, but much wider than the descriptions they gave of her.

I've seen pictures of her, but… I can't see any resemblance.

_Am I supposed to be like her?_

What aspect of my personality or appearance was "me"?

_Who am I?_

Hopping down from the sink, my feet hit the floor- or, it  _had_ before the floor beneath me gave way and I was falling into light, a scream erupting from my lips as tendrils wrapped around my legs, pulling me further down. More memories flashed by, of the self-hate and confusion, of the suffering under the people I lived with, of the endless questions I had about the sister I never really knew.

My existence. If father would still be alive by the time I graduated High School, or if we would ever learn what truly happened to Maria. If my friendship with anyone would ever really last.

If there was a reason why Maria was taken and not me. It would be easier to kidnap a toddler, right? So why did they steal a nine-year old?

As I fell into the light, white wrapping higher upon my legs, trailing to my waist and tugging down insistently, I could only struggle. The Light seemed to envelop my senses, pulling me deeper into the fray and underneath the clouds of white. I was sinking further in, heart breaking and tearing apart as more emotions swept in and overwhelmed me. The memories, the feelings, the thoughts- all keep rushing forth, the voices of home there beside me yet just out of reach, vanishing before I could call out to them.

Everything that was  _there_ was now gone, lost, and I was alone.

Alone in a sea of memories, a chain of connections threatening to break. My heart struggled against the hurt, suffocating from the feelings that seeing my loved ones brought.  _I hate this. I hate… all of this…_ I hate being alone. I hate being torn away from everyone I care about. I want… I want it to end.

I don't want to be by myself anymore.

Opening my eyes, vision blurred by the tears, I blindly reached out. It was a pointless maneuver, the white stretching up to my chest and preventing escape, but I was scared and I wanted out. I didn't want to be here anymore.

_I'm scared…_

I was nearly swallowed whole by this point, only my face and the arm I was using to reach unobscured by the light. Strangling a sob, I tried to struggle. Anywhere but here would be fine; just somewhere  _away_ from these painful memories and back where I could hold onto someone. Back where warmth was.

Before long, all that was left as visible on my face was a single brown eye, dotted with specks of silver, and golden tendrils slithering like veins onto the white. My body had gone numb, and unable to hold my arm up anymore I sank under, falling into the abyss of suffocating white.

_"-were you thinking?"_

Just before my hand sunk under completely, pale and slender fingers gripped tightly around my wrist. It pulled with such strength my head was able to resurface and I coughed, wheezing and gasping as my hand went lifeless in the woman's hold. I couldn't see the woman, my eyes blinded by the light, but I could feel her  _heart_.

Something strong… something bright… and something very dark.

_"Listening to some manipulative ass you just met. I swear, when this over I'll kill you myself. So wake the fuck up!"_

The darkness that was determined to not let me be used; that argued with me to not be foolish. That dove into my heart to save me from death. The darkness that went so far as to buy me a magic ring so I would not fall so easily into the black. The person… the  _woman_ … who was supposedly my sister.

And, even if she's not exactly what I imagined her to be… she was still there. She was there when I needed help. And she is here now.

She's violent and angry, but that's because she was hurting… and I think, with the way she got mad at me earlier, she was trying to stop me from becoming hurt, too.

Maria was  _not_ the sister I imagined, but if she  _is_ my sister… that in and of itself is enough.

With a desperate cry for survival, I reached up and clasped my hands around her wrist. Eyes, silver and gold, shimmering with bottled up magic and fearful determination, I pulled myself out of the deadly abyss of white. There was a flash of light and then- as the mist around me dispersed- I found myself standing upon a glass mosaic platform of green and blue, with a long staff in my hands.

The cold metal was surprisingly smooth against the palms of my hands, the length of the golden rod long and firm. Small rings encircled the shaft of the staff at different intervals, both decorative yet simple. The top was adorned with a large metal circlet, the small rings wrapped on different places, and much larger rings hung loosely from it, dangling freely and swaying with each movement of the staff. A curving, decorative heart rested in the center of the circlet, it's top and bottom held in place by several gleaming orbs connecting it to the ring around it.

Polished and shining in brilliant whites and golds- it was a soft and almost delicate looking staff, and I would have mistaken it as such if it weren't for its weight and the raw…  _power_ I could feel flowing underneath the metal casting. Out of sheer curiosity, I swung it around a few times to test its weight. It was a little heavy, leaving me struggling to hold it with my trembling hands, but overall it felt nice.

Almost like it was molded  _specifically_ for my hands to wield it. There was a strange warmth radiating from it, an odd sensation flowing through my fingers and touching my heart, and I couldn't help but think about how cheesy the design was and how fitting it was for someone like me. Simple, but still a little out there.

Being a little childish, I moved about the platform and swung the staff, listening to the jangling of the rings and the  _swish_ sounds the weapon would make due to the way it hit the wind. As I stepped along the glass, spinning the staff experimentally in my hands in a bit of a giddy, amused fashion, I paused when I came across the face of a young boy. Looking down at the platform I was on, I could make out the face of a child around thirteen or fourteen.

My eyes widened when I realized I recognized this figure; with his messy blond hair and light colored lashes. The attitude the image gave off due to his crossed arms. Setting the tall staff down beside me as I knelt down, I reached out and touched the picture, stunned from this discovery. "You're… Michael…"

 _Why is he here?_ He was just a fictional character I dreamed up- with the three good fairies, Yen Sid, and Mickey Mouse; he was a boy who lived and died, who had watched his best friend die, who had… been taken away to learn magic. He was the spitting image from the dream of the woman's death, with the long yellow sleeves and the black short-sleeved top unbuttoned over it.  _He isn't supposed to be real…_

Scooting closer to his visage, I ran my fingers lightly along the glass, wondering if any of this was actually real and if I was in a coma-induced hallucination. If this  _was_ real and this was my "heart" as Zexion had said, then did that make that vision of Maria real? Was  _Mickey Mouse_ real?

Oh gods, I'm really falling into insanity, aren't I?

"I-I don't… understand…"

_"That's because you only just started to learn."_

The voice spoke without warning and in my shock I nearly fell backwards, shooting up onto my feet quickly and scrambling to pick up the  _khakkhara_ \- monk staff- and hold it defensively in front of me as I tried to locate the unfamiliar voice. It was a soft voice, gentle, and yet held a certain tone of authority to it.

Trying to summon as much courage that Miroku from  _Inuyasha_ would have, I stumbled around trying to locate any person. Unfortunately, all I saw was darkness- an infuriating white light in my peripheral vanishing every time I turned. "Wh-Who are you!?  _Where_ are you!? I-I have a-a… staff thing, and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Yes. Yes, I was. I was freaking  _terrified_. I was never really one to be scared of the dark, but more of what was lurking in its shadows.

_"The path of the Keeper is not a joyous one. It is often wrought with despair."_

"What?" I continued to look around, searching desperately through the darkness surrounding me and trying to locate the person who was speaking. I could see nothing in the endless black, the only thing visible being the light illuminating the glass platform I was on. Circling around one more time, I let out a squeak and jumped back when frost began to form at the edge. Ice slowly crafted its way down the white-and-black checkered rim, through the circular paintings, until it reached the blank teal center.

_"You will be tested again and again. Lives will undoubtedly be lost."_

As the frost continued to spread, coating the glass, a ball of light began to shine through the darkness. It floated towards the rim of the platform where the ice had first appeared, before it gradually began to change shape into something more… humanoid. As the light dimmed a single white boot stepped onto the ice, a new layer of frost seeming to burst out and adding more to what had already formed. The figure- a young girl barely older than me- walked out.

She was thin, her body adorned with a silvery blue coat covered with frost. Underneath appeared to be a dress, colored with differents hues and shades of silvers and light blues, and dark leggings made out of lace. It was as if she were meant to be the embodiment of winter itself, the blue eyes shining out from underneath the hood as cold and quiet as ice. When she moved it was with a purpose, each step along the ice creating more layers of frost that splintered out and went in different directions.

The bottoms of my feet were beginning to burn from having to stand on such cold ice.

She stared at me, curiosity buried deep in those frigid eyes. The girl stopped in the middle of where the teal glass should have been located, but it was now buried in a thick coating of ice. She tilted her her head, observing me silently. Her pale lips formed into a tight frown and she raised her left hand out in front of her; a flash of light nearly blinding me when suddenly there it was- a scepter colored in silver and covered with frost. Only the rim near the top was gold, connecting to a single blue orb the color of the sky.

"As the new Light it is your duty to support the Dark," The girl spoke, voice smooth and eerily calm. She raised the staff in the air above her head, waving it around in a circular motion, the wind around us beginning to pick up as the temperature continued to drop multiple degrees. Her expression hardened, voice raising and sounding rather angry as she shouted, "but there's no  _point to it_ if you can't even protect yourself!"

I let out a shout as the gust of wind sent me stumbling to the side, eyes wide with horror as I was nearly sent tumbling over the edge of the platform. I waved my arms frantically, almost dropping the staff I was holding in my panic, and thrust my body back just in time to avoid falling into the black abyss.

_"Will yours be one of them?"_

Violence was not my thing; I have said this time and time again. Every time I show an act of violence, however unintentional, I always felt incredibly guilty after. I hated hurting people and I hated people  _being_ hurt. Yet this this person, whom I have never met before until now, literally just tried to knock me off into a seemingly endless pit of black.

I'm not sure as to what exactly was going on or if this was what Zexion was talking about when he said it would be up to me whether or not I return, but I knew one thing for certain; this girl was trying to kill me. My heart raced fearfully in my chest and my breath hitched in my throat for just a moment, panic welling up inside me as I tried to figure out how to get out of this situation. It wasn't the first time someone  _tried_ to kill me- there was my meeting with Axel, then the kitchen scene with Larxene… and then I almost died from natural causes.

But each time there was someone there to save me. I was all alone here.

The blizzard began to get stronger, snow appearing out of thin air and covering the ice on the platform. I reacted poorly to the drastic weather change, barefoot and wearing short sleeves, and as such my movements were slowed and I was left a shivering cold mess.  _Th-Th-Think! H-How can I ge-get away from here!?_

There has to be some way. I don't want to fight her.

 _Ouch!_ A small gasp escaped me and I stumbled, legs catching against the thick snow that was building up. I barely caught my balance in time, but then I felt another prick against my skin- and another, and another- shards of ice soaring through the misty white blizzard and slicing at my flesh sporadically. Red droplets splattered onto stark white, and a particularly heavy gust of wind caused me to fall forward and collapse into the freezing snow.  _I-It hurts! S-So-So c-c-c-cold!_

I'm scared. I'm really  _really_ scared.

My body didn't want to move anymore. More shards of ice sliced away at me, frost forming from where my flesh had been cut, and frost began to spread over my skin. I was starting to feel dizzy, numb to the point where the cold began to turn into a deadly warmth. I knew it was bad; I knew I wasn't going to last long.

I had just gotten to a point where I could live without thinking I might die from a sudden breathing attack and now… I was going to be killed. I never even… I never even got to learn if Maria was truly my sister. The vision of her as a child made me wonder, but… it was not a confirmation. I would never learn how she became the way she was- who hurt her to the point of her turning into such an angry person.

I don't even think she was all that bad. She had given me a ring to protect me from darkness and… made me swear to her… as if she was scared I would end up on the same path she had been on. Maria was scary, yes, and violent… but in her own way she was kind.

I sort of wanted to see more of that side. Especially since it was her voice I heard… that had pulled me from the light. She was always frowning, always glaring, always threatening others; it was as if she didn't know how to be happy. Maria looked at her surroundings as if something would jump out at her, ready for a fight. I… I don't like that. I don't like seeing that expression on her face.

 _I want…_ My fingers tightened their grip on the staff, expression contorted into pain, _to see her happy._

Though my body had turned numb and I couldn't feel anything aside from the horrible warmth I was sinking into and drowning in, a determination began to burn inside of me. A fire, a desperation to keep going. To live. As I thought about the vision of her I had seen and the way she looked now, something inside of me snapped.

And then, as if unscrewing a cork, an energy that had been left untouched for so long, that had been piling up and producing but unable to release, finally erupted. It was bright and blinding, hot and burning, and so full of pure  _emotion_ that the platform itself began to shake; the ground tearing itself apart in a way that it did not harm me, but it completely shattered the ice and swallowed up the snow that had tried to destroy me.

…

Axel's sputters broke through the silence, his hollow laughter filling the air. Marluxia even seemed to find the young scientist's statement amusing, raising a hand up to hide his chuckle. The redhead's bitterness only grew, disbelief on his features as he pointed at the ginger giant beside the short Nobody's side. "You're placing that  _kid_ in the same rank as Lex!? Are you serious right now?"

"I agree." Marluxia spoke, a smirk gracing his lips. "That's an even more outrageous statement than insinuating we have hearts."

"Which we don't." Xigbar said, grinning ear-to-ear, gesturing to the girl on the table and then to Lexaeus. "She's so emotional for a Human- there's no way she shares the same affinity as the big guy. He's as tough as tough  _gets;_ you lay a hand on the girl and she'll break like a twig!"

Zexion just fixed them with a dark glare, aware that they were insulting him. He should have known better than to play along with their little game, but there was no getting rid of the other members anytime soon and he and Vexen required silence in their workspace in order to properly concentrate on recreating the notes. "It has nothing to do with strength. Her personality merely-"

"Yeah, yeah." The sharpshooter waved him off with a roll of an eye. "What do you think, Lexaeus? Water or Earth?"

The Stalwart Taciturn, also known as the Silent Hero, did not respond. Arms crossed over his broad chest, he gave the older member a cold stare as if to tell him to behave. Vexen sighed irritably, rubbing his temples in an attempt to ease his headache. "No matter  _what_ her element is," the mad scientist began, "there's no meaning to discussing this if she does not wake up."

Luxord nodded his head in agreement. Demyx frowned, eyebrows knitting together as he stared at the girl on the table. The glow surrounding her body seemed to have dimmed some, the darkness surrounding Maria's arms stretching out to take over Irene's light. It stayed like that for a few moments, all the Organization members in the room watching… and waiting.

"She will survive." The iron strong voice rang out, finally speaking his opinion. Everyone looked at Lexaeus in surprise, watching as his blue eyes focused on the sleeping forms of the girls. "They both will."

And that was when it happened; the light around Irene's body brightened- causing the Nobodies' to avert their eyes in order to avoid being blinded. It was overwhelming, especially since they were all more accustomed to the darkness. It grew brighter and warmer, and then Maria's heart reacted. To avoid being snuffed out the darkness fought, pushing against the light, fighting for its survival. The forces clashed, neither giving in, until the glows dimmed back into their natural state.

Demyx was the one who spoke next, startled by what occurred. "Wh… What just happened?"

…

Brown eyes shifted into silver and molten gold, tendrils of light tearing out of the staff and melting all of the ice and snow that had threatened to consume whatever had been in its path. Columns of dirt and earth ripped out of the seemingly glass platform, forming sloppily-made pillars that towered above us. Every step I took, every breath I inhaled and let go, every  _thought_ that was made was mimicked by the crumbling debris of rocks and the formation of more earthen towers.

Fear and desperation coursed through me, an overwhelming sensation of pure  _energy_ flooding my senses. My mind was racing, yet everything seemed to be happening so slow. The girl dashed directly towards me, lethal shards of ice materializing in the air and being directed towards me. Each one was now aimed directly for my body, but the majority of them had been blocked by the many protective walls that now surrounded us. I was dizzy and I was still incredibly cold, and droplets of blood splattered onto the platform as I ran… but I could still move.

I was driven by panic and nothing more. Adrenaline and power rushed through me, guiding me, and before I knew what was happening the girl was across from me. Her scepter sliced through the air without warning and I let out a loud gasp, eyes wide as a loud metal  _CLANG_ rang out. Her weapon had come into contact with the base of my staff, blocking her attack.

I could feel her pushing against me, shoving me back with her strength, and frost began to spread from her scepter onto my staff. It creeped along the base, growing until it had nearly reached my hands. As the barest traces of ice brushed my fingertips I made a rash decision and dropped my staff, ducking with a small shriek and then ramming myself into her stomach. For someone who probably had years of battle experience she didn't really seem like she had expected someone  _without_ that same training to do such a thing.

We toppled to the floor, her scepter clattering out of her hand, and then suddenly she was grabbing my hair. A scream ripped out of my throat and I shouted, struggling as frost began to form once more on to my skin. She kicked her legs, hitting me hard in the ribs as I clawed at her hands. A couple curses escaped her lips, and feeling the frost beginning to seep into my bones as it spread along my face I decided to grab one arm and- ignoring the pain- forcefully moved my head and bite into her arm.

" _-shit!_  Fuck, ow!" The girl screeched and threw me off. I rolled on the ground, wincing as pain blossomed all over my wounded body. My foot hit a nearby pillar and I winced, struggling to push myself up. Through blurred vision I could make out the girl leaning down to pick up her fallen scepter. "Damn it…"

This isn't good. Oh gods. Breathe, breathe, calm down-  _what to do_? Her scepter can shoot ice and snow, right? That must be her "element" or "affinity" that everyone kept going on about. And if these giant towers of earth are any indication… that must be mine. If she can spread ice from her feet and hands, but create a freaking  _blizzard_ by waving her scepter around… can my staff do something like that?

It's a lot longer and definitely shaped a lot more cheesily than hers, but it has to be good for something. I need to get to it. Ah, but how? It's behind her. Blinking a few times, little snowflakes fell from my lashes. I could feel the frost melting away as I stood, silver and gold still coloring my view. Heat radiated from my body, reminding me of the time I had burned Vexen's hand.

The feeling was the same, but it was also… different. Back then it had been due to Maria as a conduit that allowed me to use fire, right? Then this time it's because of  _me_. This is  _my_ magic. If we go by what little I remember of Xemnas' explanation, Maria and I are two halves of the same whole-  _two sides of a coin_ \- but are still so vastly different.

She was fire and passion, and darkness itself. She was determination and strength.

I was desperation and fear, and extremely uncertain about a lot of things. I was weak.

But the longer I remained in this place the more I came to realize something through all this madness. Falling like I had and being put through so much in what felt like such a short amount of time...

I  _was_ light.

I felt awful for hurting the mad scientist after he threatened me and most of my anger towards the Organization for kidnapping me was mostly over the fact that Xigbar and Axel had attacked me and my friends. I was upset for being taken from my world, but I wasn't mad at anyone for it. I had willingly followed Zexion through the portal because in that moment he was the only who hadn't came off as threatening or cruel. He didn't hurt anyone.

And I didn't want to risk seeing him do so.

He was capable of it, I was certain of this; everyone in the Organization was capable of harm. I just tried to turn a blind eye to it. In this situation it was the only thing I  _could_ do… because I was just a kid. A sixteen-year-old kid that was abducted, told she was some important being of Light that needed protection, and was forced to live in a castle. There I was threatened, confused, and… scared.

I nearly died in a Corridor of Darkness, I burned Vexen, I summoned a Corridor of Light… and I nearly drowned in my own heart twice. And now here I was back on the platform, face-to-face with a person of unknown origin. She felt like someone I  _should_ know, but I didn't recognize her at all. A part of me wondered if she was one of the previous Keepers of Light, but I brushed it off because  _why_ would she be attacking me then? The snow, the ice, and the cold  _rage_ within her eyes…

It just didn't make sense why she would be essentially attacking her successor.

I hadn't accepted the truth then. The facts that were staring me right in the face. It wasn't until after I had been bleeding out, trapped in a blizzard of the girl's own making, that everything really hit me. The container inside me that  _snapped_ , releasing all the pent up power that had been buried for years. The sheer rush of magic and adrenaline that rushed through me… and the pillars of earth that erupted out of the shaking platform.

Everything just made sense then.

Even the possibility of Maria being my older sister. The memories I had been forced to watch, the sheltered sickly life I had lived,  _all of it_ made sense.

Magic was real. Nobodies existed.

I was one of the Keepers of Heart.

And this woman wanted to kill me.

You know what?  _Screw it._ I still have enough energy rushing through me to move and how much more banged up can I get? From the looks of it the girl can't do much without her weapon anyway; she may be a bit physically stronger than I am and be able to make frost come out from her fingertips, but without her staff we're  _almost_ evenly matched. So long as I keep her scepter away from her I stand a chance.

I don't want to hurt her, o-or… anything else, but I won't let her kill me. I don't want to die.

I'll make her surrender.

And with that thought in mind I charged, running as fast as I could barefoot against the platform. The girl turned, spinning on her heel, and quickly jumped out of the way. I yelped, hands hitting air, and I twisted my body sideways to stumble backwards. Lucky thing I did, too, for the way she was aiming her scepter she would have sliced straight clean through my side. "Ha!" I let out a nervous laugh, falling to a stop as I breathed heavily.

"You're weak." The girl muttered as she got into a stance, watching me with narrowed eyes. "It's pathetic."

Still trying to catch my breath, I stood up and placed a hand on my waist, waving my right in the air. A familiar burn was beginning to build inside my chest from all the running I had been doing. Even though my lungs had been fixed, my stamina still wasn't the greatest. This cold air wasn't helping very much either. "You know… that's just not very nice? I… I'm not… a fighter, thank you very much! N-No need to be rude."

"Hmph. And you think you can withstand the dark?"

"Honestly?" I breathed, placing a hand on my chest to try and calm my racing heart. A small grin spread across my face, a bit crazed from the current events, as I said, "I  _really_ don't. But hey- that's why I'm here, ain't it?"

The girl didn't seem to like my witty response very much. It only seemed to aggravate her more. With each step the glass got encased in a thin sheen of ice and the woman lunged forward with her staff like it was a blade. With the way the tip was… well, it really felt like a rapier. I shrieked, sucked in my stomach, and jumped back. I found myself suddenly really grateful for my expert dodging skills because  _holy frick_ my shirt now has a cut in it, but my stomach is otherwise alright.

This was far more lethal than dodgeball, but I was relieved to see that I was still able to avoid the majority of her hits. I always managed to avoid being hit during gym class, even when I was by myself against a team of twenty-two people. It was strange and I wasn't even sure how I pulled off some of the moves I did, especially when I would trip and fall just in time to avoid a ball sailing directly over my head, but my team had been cheering and my teacher got annoyed because I wasn't throwing balls back. Perhaps it had something to do with my "abilities" as a Keeper of Light, or maybe I was just good at being a coward…

But regardless of the reason, this girl had landed way more blows when she had been using the ice shards against me.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see my staff. It was just a few feet away, a bit frosted over from the earlier clash with the girl's scepter, and would probably work in properly blocking the attacks. Unfortunately, my expertise in swordfighting or… staff usage… was more in the stabbing area than the blocking.

I wouldn't do very well against the girl if I tried to battle with weapons. Still, the staff had multiple rings on it and if I could get the blade  _caught_ in one of them… or even the large decorative heart…

"Oh gods, oh gods, ice, ice, ice! No!" I shrieked and waved my arms around wildly as I stepped on some of the glass that had been frozen over, sliding along it blindly. I closed my mouth quickly not long after screaming, not intent on biting my tongue off. I grew lightheaded after a few moments of spinning, stomach churning uncomfortably, and before I knew what had happened my face had rammed hard into one of the many earthen pillars.

Tears stung my eyes and I staggered sideways, a hand over my bleeding nose. It wasn't broken, but it hurt a  _lot_. Freaking heck, man! Ugh. Wait, crap,  _run!_ Run! I tried to move, but ended up slipping on the ice again and falling on my front. The girl finally decided let out another barrage of shards, slicing through my clothes and cutting into my flesh as I hurried to cover my neck and face.

_Stop._

Her footsteps were getting closer, the frozen glass getting covered with another layer of ice. Frost started to build up on my legs. I could hear her heels clacking against the ground. Closer. Closer.

_No…_

She was running now. Scepter raised high in the air, pointed tip ready to slice through me and end my existence.

Fear, rage, desperation. Thoughts of Maria and the idea how  _pointless_ the people saving me would have been if I were to die now raced through my head. I needed that staff; I needed  _something_ to block the attack; I can't fall here! I needed to do something, anything;  _now!_

As I raised my arms up in the air to cover my face there was a flash- a blinding white light that was followed closely by a loud irritating  _CLANG!_  Warm metal pressed against my palms, my fingers wrapping instinctively around the base of the staff, and then I was pushing against a weight that was trying to cut me down, my back pressed against the ground. "Get…  _away_ … from me!"

"You're going to die!" The girl hissed, the air around us turning a bit misty as a fog settled in from the sheer cold of the area. "You're just a useless brat that doesn't even know how to fight! How are you supposed to protect yourself!?"

" _Shut up!_ "

Not knowing what else I do reached up and kicked her hard in the kneecap. To both my guilt and satisfaction the girl let out a pained screech and toppled over, leg bent at an ugly angle. Her staff fell out of her hand and she cried out, knee popped out of place. "Fucking-  _agh!_ "

The girl reached down to relocate her leg back into place, but I didn't stay around to watch.

Determined to get the weapon away I lunged, slipping and sliding against the ice towards the fallen scepter. My assailant looked up in time to watch me grab her scepter, and as I slid away between a few earthen columns (not really having control over  _where_ I was moving) I could feel the frost and cold burning the flesh on my palm. I held on as long as I could until I was close enough and then- with a desperate wave I hurled the weapon over the edge of the platform.

It toppled into the black abyss below… and I crashed into another earthy pillar.

World spinning and vision blurred, silver and gold specs now gone, I shakily stood and gripped my staff tight in my hands. I faced the girl who was now attempting to stand on her sore, swollen leg. There was no doubt that she'd be unable to move very well now thanks to my retaliation; this was actually to my advantage. She now had a handicap.

Stepping a few feet closer nervously, I looked around. The platform was a  _mess_. Blood and dirt and ice was everywhere. Water from the melted snow and puddles of red covered the once beautiful stained glass. I tried to think of a course of action to take, but I honestly had no idea what to do now. The girl was already wounded and I don't think she'd be able to put up much of a fight anymore. I couldn't run away, either, without falling to my death.

I don't want to hurt her again.

Maybe… Maybe we can talk? Hopefully. Um.

"I-I'm sorry…" I flinched when she sent a glare in my direction and I held my staff close to my chest. Biting down on my lip I hesitated before speaking again. "I-I didn't want to fight you, okay!? Can't we just talk things out? W-We're b-both pretty roughed up, s-so… I mean… yeah. Can't we count this as a draw?"

Feeling something drip on my chin reminded me of my bloody nose. I reached up and pinched it, making a face as I wiped the blood away with my other arm. Disgusting. Gods, I was going to need a serious shower.

"Wh-Why are you even trying to kill me? I don't know you; I never  _did_ anything to you that I know of. U-unless I did… in which case I would like to know  _what_ it was! M-Maybe I can make up for it? By… doing something that  _doesn't_ include my death?" I aimed for a smile, praying it looked friendly. My heart was still racing inside my chest, but I really wanted to try to diffuse the situation. "H-Hey! Maybe we could be friends? Friends are cool!  _Eeeey_ , "cool" like ice! How  _cool_ is that!? I'm Irene! What's your name? Wow, you're really pretty with your hood down!"

It was true. She had long curly ginger locks that fell into her freckled face. The girl was very petite.

"Redheads are always so pretty; heck, Maria is kinda a redhead with her auburn hair! Both my other siblings are blond, though… I'm actually the only one with brown eyes, did you know that? Probably not, but now you do. Do you have any siblings? I'm the shortest out of mine."

She didn't answer. I made a face and tried again, setting my staff on the ground to attempt a peace offering. The girl was still struggling to stay upright as she glared daggers at me.

"Okay… I'm going to assume not. But that's okay! Not everyone has siblings. A lot of people who  _do_ have siblings tend not to get along with theirs; I mean, I didn't when I was little, buuuut then around Middle School we all kinda grew a bit close. I'm closer with my brother than my sister, and there's Maria who I didn't even  _know_ until recently and it turns out she's the Keeper of Darkness? I mean, if that Maria  _is_ my Maria, and I'm pretty certain she is… it's weird. This whole situation is weird and  _wow_  I'm kinda dizzy. Haha. Whoooa… that's a lot of blood."

I didn't know I had that much blood. Humans are weird. I don't like bodies. Bodies are gross. Humans are gross. Human  _fluids_ are gross. Blood was okay, I guess, but saliva? Saliva, sweat, and even skin to a certain point. I just don't like bodies.

I can appreciate them on an artistic level, and be able to consider a person attractive to a certain point, but when I start to take into consideration the actuality of a human body and think about everything else it's just… nasty. I have no interest in it. Oh…

The blood on my hands actually looks a little like paint. Haha. It feels warm and rather sticky.  _Now_ I can consider blood as gross. I tried to wipe them off on my jeans.

I spun in a little circle, taking in the sights. How high up did the black sky go? Only the platform and everything on it was highlighted. So strange. Oh, wait, actually, there's a light! A big red light really far up in the sky. What is it? "Are all hearts like this? How do they work? Is it a mental thing or is it, like, what all magic hearts look like? Heeeyyy… you know what's funny?"

The girl's expression finally changed. Her eyebrows knit together as I looked at her, tears stinging my eyes.

"I  _really_ miss my family… s-so why aren't I mad about being stolen from them? I should be mad, right? But, like, I'm really not? It's  _so_ weird. I love 'em and I miss 'em, but I just… I'm not mad?" My voice cracked a little and I knit my eyebrows together, dazed and finding it difficult to speak my thoughts/feelings aloud. There had been the argument with Axel, but that… wasn't really about this. "I'm just... ticked 'cause a bunch of weird stuff is happening and they hurt some people. But me? N-No. No, I don't get it. It's so silly. Like, why?"

I knew the reason. But I couldn't believe it. I didn't understand it. I just wanted someone to confirm it. To tell me what I already figured out.

The girl tilted her head, reaching a gloved hand back to pull her hood back up. Expression darkening, the girl extended her arm out and with a flash of light her scepter was back in her hold. I blinked, startled, and then mentally berated myself for having not realized that could happen when I had done the very same thing earlier.

"Because." The girl started, hitting her wounded foot against the ground a couple of times before bursting into a run. "You left  _willingly!"_

Weak and dizzy from blood loss, I was unable to move as fast as I had done before. I managed to spin out of the way, using the heel of my bare foot to balance, and then landed on the palm of my other foot, but the girl had still managed to nick me. The tip of her scepter sliced through my side, slashing against the already torn cloth and cutting into the small wounds I already had.

I fell back, blindly reaching out for the staff I had set down, and waved it in front of me frantically in hopes something would happen. I knew I had unlocked my magic, the earthen pillars were proof of it; I just didn't know how to  _use_ it. The energy boost I had earlier was now gone and some of the adrenaline had left me. I could  _feel_ all the pain coursing through my bruised and battered body.

And let me tell you-  _it hurt_.

I was scared. My staff managed to hit her leg again- her bad one- and she grit her teeth and glared, and not knowing what else to do I scrambled onto my feet and bolted. The girl let out another wave of shards and I slid to hide behind a pillar, but the ice I was on suddenly decided to grow. It crept up my legs and caused me to fall, leaving me trapped on my back as the bottom half of my body became frozen to the ground.

It was a miracle I had even survived this long, so Luxord must have been onto something when he spoke about Lady Luck… but now I've run out. I could barely even breathe, let alone see my opponent. The cold air hurt and the loss of so much blood made it difficult to focus. I could feel my skin absorbing the cold, the ice and frost stealing away any warmth. At this rate…

At this rate I  _was_ going to die. The ice continued to creep up my waist, snow slowly drifting down from the sky and onto us. I was shivering, freezing cold. Even my hand that held the staff was trapped, so I had no means to defend myself. All I could do was stare at the top of the girl's scepter, the stranger standing over me with eyes filled with fury.

"Why do you resist?" She demanded. "You know not of what you are or what those people want with you. You are a being of light, made to heal the worlds and their people. Are you truly prepared to face what lies ahead? Why would you rather  _live_ and face hardship than accept a merciful death? Why do you fight? Why do you try to  _pacify_ your enemies?"

_Wh...What?_

I sat there for a long moment, breathless and uncertain as to what she was talking about. It hurt to think or just lie there, the ice so cold it was starting to burn my flesh. A small fog could be seen whenever I exhaled or tried to speak. My gaze met the girl's and my heart caught in my throat, fear beginning to overwhelm me. As the rest of the adrenaline went away my body erupted with intense, excruciating pain and I choked. "I-I don't… I don't know…"

The ice crept further up my body, covering my torso and stretching up to my shoulders. The girl's expression hardened and she held the scepter closer to me, the pointed tip just centimeters from my throat. For a horrible moment I thought she was going to slit it open. "Then answer me this,  _Irene_. Even if it meant being hurt, being betrayed… or being lied to… would you still allow yourself to get close to someone?"

Wh… Why is she asking me this?

_She's going to kill me. She wants to kill me._

Does it have anything to do with the Organization or Maria?

_I don't want to die._

The girl shoved the scepter closer and I shrieked, leaning my head back as the pointed tip dug into the flesh of my throat, drawing a little pinprick of blood. I gasped, lips curled back and teeth ground together, my eyes squeezed tightly shut in fear. "Answer me!"

"Y- _Yes!_  I-I would! I would! J-Just-Just d-don't kill me,  _please!_ " The tears couldn't be held back any longer. The pain, the torment, the cold, the  _fear_ … it was all too much. I had never been put through anything like this before and honestly it was overwhelming. I didn't want to die. "I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

 _Let me go._ I didn't want to hurt you.  _I'm sorry_. I don't know what I did to you to make you act like this-  _I'm sorry_ \- but please just stop.

The girl stared down at me, a small scoff escaping her lips, before she stepped back and lowered the scepter to her side. She then looked down at her right hand, a strange expression crossing her face. The ice began to melt away and I collapsed, landing roughly on the ground. "Even though it would tear you apart inside…? Doesn't that bother you?"

An unhealthy amount of blood continued to ooze out of my wounds, staining the colorful glass.

"Hmph." The girl rolled her eyes. "You really  _are_ a weakling. Here."

She raised her staff again and pointed it at me. I flinched out of reflex, having believed her about to deliver the finishing blow, when suddenly I was wrapped up in a warmth. A green glow enveloped my body and my wounds began to disappear, flesh closing in on itself. A few moments passed and I opened my eyes, wondering what just happened as exhaustion washed over me.

"...And you may refer to me as Holly."

I turned to look down at my injuries, stunned by how they were just  _gone_. My clothes were still ripped and the blood stains remained, but I was no longer wounded. It was incredible. I was a little sore and definitely dizzy, yet there was no more pain. I went to say something to the girl, to thank her for whatever it was she did despite her having tried  _killing_ me, but…

She was nowhere to be found. It was just me, my staff, and the creepy little black shadows in the distance that appeared to be crawling out of the ground.

...Wait, what?

No. No, there was  _definitely_ creepy little black shadows crawling out of the ground. Little antennas on the top of their heads twitched as their heads bobbed back-and-forth to look around. They had big beady yellow eyes and chubby stomachs, hands and feet long and pointy. Claws.

My movements were sluggish as I raised a hand up, wiping off the tears on my face, and I used my staff to help me stand. The heart inside my chest ached and felt as though it was being weighed down, and I found it hard to remain upright. It was like… moving through water. Muggy. Slow. It made sense because I was tired and my muscles felt sore from all the moving around I had done, but this felt… different.

_"Light begets darkness; there can not be one without the other._

_But the shadows can not remain here."_

Shadows?

One of the creatures turned their heads towards me. For a second I thought I could a hear a voice in the distance- not the one speaking to me or like the girl, Holly I think she said- but something… familiar. I was too tired to think to place it and instead focused on the creatures in front of me. They certainly  _looked_ like shadows- once they flattened themselves against the glass, at least.

Also like rabbits. Inky black shadow rabbits.

They stopped a few feet away from me, bright yellow eyes focusing intently on the golden flickering of my staff. I hummed to myself thoughtfully, noticing that they almost acted  _intimidated_ by it. Was I supposed to fight these things? Wait… shadows…

_"The Heartless are born from the darkness of man's hearts._

_Darkness has dove into_ _your_ _heart._

_Use Heart's Remission; it is a staff designed by the strength and magic of your own heart. Quickly now! The longer the shadows remain the weaker you become!"_

So they are Heartless after all! I'm not completely idiotic.

I took note of the voice said and looked down at my weapon, waving it in the air curiously. One of the creatures jumped back, antenna twitching fearfully for a few seconds. My staff had a name  _and_ it was supposed to reflect my heart? Well, no wonder it had a freaking heart for a design; I'm the biggest sap there is. Cheesiness and bad puns were my love.

But if that's the case… was it the same with Holly? Was she even a Keeper of Light? Who even knows anymore; I needed to focus. The man said that these Heartless were weakening me just by being here. I was already tuckered out, but a huge portion of that must be because of these guys.

I waved my staff around a bit more, deciding to test the waters a little longer and watching as the Heartless jumped back, and was about to try whacking them with the long piece of metal when suddenly I remembered- they were creatures that formed from the darkness of people's hearts. The darker the stronger.

What would happen if I destroyed them?

I would be finding out rather soon, because one of the Heartless seemed to have gotten over their fear and was now lunging through the air. Recalling what I had been told about how they like to steal hearts and seeing how quickly it was flying towards my face, I let out a shriek and swung the staff reflexively. The shadow creature smacked directly into the decorative heart in the middle of the circlet, light rippling off the golden curved edges and tearing the shadow creature apart as it flew back.

I watched in both horror and fascination as it just… evaporated into wispy black mist.

My attention snapped back to the other creatures, about fifteen to twenty of them surrounding me now. Their beady yellow bug eyes stared up at me, their inkly black tendrils of hands and antennas twitching. Some of them sunk into the ground and I panicked, stumbling back and waving my staff around wildly.

It managed to hit some of the Heartless that jumped into the air, the light from before tearing them apart and destroying them. I tried stomping at some of the ones who had sunk into the ground, their bodies flattened against the glass, but it had no effect. More Heartless began to form, taking on different and far more intimidating appearances, and they all had an insignia on them somewhere. A couple resembling little soldier men took more than one hit to take down and when I  _did_ destroy them a few hearts could be seen floating up in the air, disappearing into the darkness above.

A few shadows managed to slice my legs and I kicked at them, waving my staff around in another direction and sending light flying everywhere, but I was quickly growing overwhelmed. I was exhausted and sluggish, and there were just far too many of them to destroy all by myself. I wasn't even experienced in fighting and yet I had to not only deal with one boss battle, but now a huge swarm of enemies?

After managing to knock a few more away my attention was quickly caught by a Heartless that had just appeared from darkness. It was at least eight feet tall, round and as fat as could be. With big arms and chunky legs, its small head could barely be seen from underneath its little helmet. There's no way…

I'm not going to be able to destroy that thing. Unfortunately, it was heading directly towards me… and I really couldn't run in my current state. Not having any other options I swung my staff as hard as I could into its belly as it neared, but the object bounced off of it like it was nothing and then there was a large fist hitting me hard in the chest. A scream erupted from my throat as I went flying, my body slamming into a couple of shadows. Claws started to rake through my flesh, tearing away at my back in vengeance. "Agh- _get off! Get off!_ "

I rolled onto my side and swung my arm, trying to get the creatures off of me. My chest and breathing hurt- as if one or two of my ribs were now bruised. The heartless clawed and scratched and bit, and more and more blood splattered and dripped. I finally managed to latch onto one's leg and threw it off of me, and then hit it hard with my staff. My movements were even slower now, more like I was trudging through mud than walking in water.

Is this… what it felt like in darkness?  _Was_ I even in darkness? The voice said it had entered  _my_ heart, but if that was the case shouldn't I be dying? Not because of my wounds, but because it was poison to my body?

The big guy charged at me again. I tried to run, or even just scramble away, but my legs gave out on me. Holly might have done something to heal my injuries earlier, but it did nothing for the loss of so much blood. Even now I was losing more and that was the problem. Unable to keep moving, I held the staff in front of me- praying that it would do  _something_ once it made contact.

Too many heartless. Too many bad guys. Too much exhaustion. Far too lightheaded.

I was done for.

As the violent creatures charged at me a huge wave of heat and flame erupted out of nowhere, enveloping the heartless. A loud enraged scream came from the back of the large bodied heartless, a young woman leaping through the air and running her blades through its back. "Back off!" Maria screeched, eyes bleeding red and black as the creature dissipated. Her voice, through gritted teeth, was a deep set snarl as she landed on the platform and twirled her blades in her hands. " _Don't_ even  _think_ about it."

And suddenly… the darkness made sense.

At least, I was pretty sure it did.


	13. Unanswered Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite everything that had been said to her, done to her, Maria would not be the monster they sought. She would be more than that, more than them.
> 
> "Maria, that wasn't...it's not...Whatever that was, it's not you. Okay? It… It's just not."

The fall was much easier this time. It wasn't the sluggish, thick mess it had been the last time she had dove into the girl's heart. It was smooth, simple. Like coming home. It didn't make sense considering Irene's light should have been fighting her; keeping her out. But as she fell down, her descent slowing as her feet touched down onto the shining crimson platform; she understood. Maria hadn't made it into Irene's heart.

She had dove into her own. Irene had locked her out.

Maria looked around quickly, eyes gazing into the dark abyss about her. At the distant platforms; void of light and paths a black and crumbled mess. The hearts locked off from her for good. But she had been to Irene's heart before. Had felt it's light.  _So where is it?_  She thought as she rushed over to the edge, quickly finding a dull light off in the distance. A deep set growl escaped her.

"I didn't think you'd be back so soon." Came the soft call. Maria didn't even need to turn around to see who it was.

"I don't have time for your sass, stowaway."

A soft sound then, like a sigh, before the calm words rang out again, "You're here for something else then?"

Fingers ran through her hair, tugging slightly at the auburn strands as she tried to focus. It's been so long since Maria had to open her heart to another. It was so painful to try to open to pathways again. To reach out to another.

But Irene needed help. Needed her. And that almost hurt  _worse_.

"Is it the other?"

"Yeah." Maria grit out, letting her hands fall down to her sides, fists clenched, "It's the kid."

"What are you going to do?"

"What am I going to do?" She repeated, more to herself than to Michael. "That's the fucking question isn't it? "What is Maria going to do?" The dark one. The terror. The  _weapon._ " She spat, glaring at the light in the distance- seething at everything that had happened. At all that would continue to happen just because of who -  _what_  - they are. She was getting so sick of it. So sick of the hurt, of the betrayal, of the sheer anger. So sick and tired of it all.

And as she saw the light in the distance flash bright before dissipating, she let out a loud unrelenting scream; her platform shaking from the very force of it. Black seeped up around her, lashing out at the air before the mosaic steps began to form. Reaching out from the edge of her platform and into the abyss. The steps only made it a few paces out- cracked and fragile. As if awaiting someone to step out onto them; to either strengthen them or shatter them completely.

All she had to do was take a step.

_She's going to kill me._

Make a choice.

_She wants to kill me._

To forget.

_I don't want to die._

Or defend.

It's our choices that define us. Not others. It's our choices that give us purpose. That shape who we are and what we will become. We make our choices and hope that they're the right ones.  _We_ make our choices.

And we step out onto the glass.

With a heat hotter than fire, a fierceness stronger than any fury, and a rage deeper than any emotion she had yet to face; she ran. Heat and flame and black shining across the glass as she ran. The pathway stretching near endlessly as if testing her resolve to reach the Light. To defend it. The Darkness was the warrior, meant to defend the Light from all that ails it. Even if it meant themselves. She was to defend the light at all costs. That lesson was taught to her well.

And as she felt her fire rage in inky black waves, she let out a scream. Leaping off the mosaic just before it reached the emerald tinted plain, seeing the shadows roaming about its surface. Soaring through the air, fighting the pulsing light straining against her very being, she drew blades out of her very fire. Shining and molten gold in her hands as she lifted them above her head, focused and clear.

"Back off!"

Clear for the first time in what felt like years. She had purpose. And that purpose set her eyes amidst crimson fury, her blades being brought down across the back of the enemy. Destroying the low level heartless in a fierce swing as shadows erupted from it, fading into nothing as her feet touched the ground. She brought her swords round, stance set and ready for whatever would try to come next. Black swirling about her legs like armor as she snarled,

" _Don't_ even  _think_ about it."

The Heartless that had been surrounding Irene were completely destroyed, wispy black tendrils fading away in the air as multiple hearts drifted upwards into nothingness. More and more powerful Heartless began to appear and form from the shadows that were coloring the colorful platform. What once was beautiful shades of white, light blue, and green were now being tainted with the black and purple of darkness. Maria lunged forward and slashed through the Heartless, determination burning deep inside her being, flames erupting from the blades in her hold and burning all that came into its clutches.

Irene struggled to push herself up onto her feet, legs tired and unwilling to move. Blood dripped onto the ground from her many wounds and her eyes struggled to stay open. Maria, seeing this, slid her foot along the ground in a practiced arc, a wall of flame building up and keeping back the grounded Heartless with ease. With them forced back the woman made her way over to the young girl, knowing she had to work quickly before the fire extinguished itself. Light did not take kindly to blackened flame after all.

"Heal!" A dim green light danced around Irene, weak compared to the strength of her flames. Only a few of the cuts stopped bleeding, too many for Maria to heal at once; and instead of vanishing they left thin white scars on her skin. Irene was still too tired to move, her form hunched over on the ground. Her weary brown eyes lifted to meet Maria's stern glare. "The hell were you thinking!? Listening to some ass you just met- I swear; this is the  _last time_ I'm saving you!"

"S...Sorry…" She breathed, crimson fingers tightening ever-so-slightly on the staff in her hands. Irene looked rather relieved at the sight of the woman, but also greatly concerned. "Wasn't… I-I didn't... Just happened…"

"Just happened or not, you need to learn to start  _thinking_." Maria scolded, glaring around at the heartless-their golden eyes peering through her slowly fading flames. With a curse, the young woman flipped the blades in her hands to hold them both in reverse style, "I've never seen so many Heartless on a platform before. How are they even here when you're supposed to be Light?"

"I don't…" Irene started before seeing Maria brace herself. The fury's leg sweeped back in an arc as she crouched down, stilling for just a moment before shooting forward, bursting through the flames like a bullet.

What Maria had said didn't make sense. The question boggled around in Irene's head as she watched Maria take down Heartless after Heartless. Irene was supposed to be the Keeper of Light, right? So how  _were_ they here? The voice said Darkness dove into her heart. And before that, Demyx told her that the Heartless were forged when a person lost their heart.

_He said… their appearance was determined by the strength of the darkness…_

Or was it Marluxia who told her that? Irene doesn't really remember. Everything is a little jumbled right now. Headache worsening, the girl's thoughts halted in their tracks as she let her worried brown gaze fall upon the red-clad form in front of her. The puzzle pieces were lining up slowly as the fuller picture finally started to appear.

The Heartless came from Darkness… and wasn't Maria supposed to be Darkness itself?

_"Like calls to Like."_

Was Maria's  _heart_ allowing the shadows entry into Irene's heart?

It was as if someone was whispering the answers in her ear, giving her the information she needed and trying to confirm her suspicions. Irene pushed herself up onto one knee, staring at Maria with a wary expression, uncertain if she should allow herself to believe what her mind was telling her. Her fingers loosened on her staff, but the dangerous creatures surrounding the girl kept her nerves on edge and made that little bitof strength left in her body refuse to let go of it. Her words caught in her throat as she started, "Th-They were…"

No. Wait.

What if she was wrong?

Maria would get mad at her for suggesting something like that, wouldn't she? She had dove into her heart in order to save her… Irene didn't want to accuse her of bringing such dangerous creatures here. She was  _killing_ the monsters after all; why would Maria give them passage? It wasn't as if she would hurt…

The girl's thoughts came to a halt as the memories of the third day came rushing back to her.

Marluxia's coat dripping with his blood, the man collapsed on a knee as he bled from his wounds. Vexen, body limp and unmoving, flowers strewn across his unconscious form; Zexion hunched over and breathless, a slightly worn Lexaeus hovering protectively near him. And not to mention all those times Maria nearly started another fight with Marluxia and- later- Larxene…

Would it really be wrong of her to assume the Heartless were coming from the woman? Maria  _was_ dangerous.

But so was the Organization.

The Nobodies.

If Irene really had died back then… whether it was from Axel and Xigbar, Larxene, or just her own sickness… no one would have cared. They probably only saved her out of necessity- no, they  _definitely_ only saved her out of necessity. The members said themselves that if a Keeper died a new one would instantly be born; the Organization could have just gone and located the next Light. Irene's specific existence wasn't needed.

She was just a pawn.

They were only protecting her until she outlived her use.

And "protecting" wasn't something all of them wanted to do, either.

But… some of them…

"Th-The Heartless…"

Some of them  _weren't_ going to just let her die. They were all dangerous yes, deadly even, but… that doesn't necessarily mean that every member was  _evil_. The Organization just wanted their hearts back and to be able to properly feel again. If any one of the members truly meant no harm to Irene it would  _have_ to be Lexaeus; he just… never did anything to make her think otherwise. He was gigantic and terrifying in the sense that he could break her with just his pinky finger if they got in a fight, but he was calm and honest and…

A bit protective? Which made sense since he was technically guarding her. Perhaps generous was more the term she was looking for? Kind? She had no idea. There was just something about the Nobody that made her feel at ease. Sort of ironic considering she was awful with quiet people.

Irene was even worse with angry people who liked to yell, but… then there was Maria. She scared her in many ways, but intrigued her just as much. She wanted to get to know her, to learn about the woman. Because despite her harsh words and actions the womanwas still trying to protect her even now. That, to Irene, could only mean that if the Heartless  _did_ come from her… it would have to be unintentional.

And if that was the case, despite all her strength and powers, Maria… probably didn't even know about her ability to control the weaker Heartless. Irene blinked a few times at this realization, her eyebrows knitting together as she struggled to speak. "They… f-from the Darkness… you..."

"Kid, I can't understand what you're talking about if you can't form a sentence!" Maria called after striking down the last of the shadowy creatures. Facing Irene for the first time since she appeared on the platform Maria's red-on-black gaze was stern, however it didn't hold the same coldness it did before. Somehow, between when they had arrived at the castle to now, Maria didn't seem so angry towards her anymore.

Ruby red met chocolate brown for a brief moment, a hesitated moment - almost as though Maria had wanted to say something before her gaze turned hard again, slowly turning back around. It would have struck Irene as odd if she hadn't noticed the reason why. The swirling black shadows were forming up like a fog. Solidifying as a large, towering form slowly moving behind the crimson fighter; the two small girls barely larger than its hand as it stood at it's full towering height.

Maria's voice was little more than a irritated sneer as she spoke, "You've got to be kidding me." Blades flipping in her hands with practiced ease, she brought both blades into their forward position, getting into an offensive stance - a stance that happened to put her directly between the Heartless and Irene.

"M-Maria-?"

"Stay behind me." She ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument, "A Darkside is nothing to mess with. Especially in your state. You stay back and move when I tell you to. Understand?"

The smaller girl eyed the Heartless - the Darkside - watching as it tilted its head to one side, as if regarding them, before she nodded. "O-Okay… b-be careful!"

As if sensing the child's fear, the Darkside reared back before slamming it's hand down towards the ground. In a swift moment of pure instinct Maria cast Aero on Irene, trying to give the weakened child some form of protection as she surged forward, taking both blades and slashing them across the hand and wrist of the Heartless. Darkness began to pool about its enclosed fist, flowing about like an ink-black pool as smaller Shadows started to appear. With a grimace, she flipped both blades into one hand; stretching out her arm as she focused on the dark pool, trying to shrink it down and dissipate it before more Heartless could populate.

And that sent the Darkside into a Frenzy.

It lashed out, swiping at Maria - who rolled out of the way with a quick burst of flame - before it reared back again. Thrusting out its chest as it sent blasts of glowing violet orbs into the air, the glowing magic chased down the fire user as she surged about the platform, bursting with toxic energy against whatever they touched.

"Kid, don't let those things touch you!" She ordered, sending her own spells to connect with the orbs before they could hit anything - or  _anyone_  - else. Unfortunately, during that time, some of the smaller shadows managed to flatten themselves against the glass platform and began to make their way passed Maria, who was currently distracted by the toxic orbs chasing her around. A small shout caught Maria's attention and she leapt through the air, landing on the Dark Side's arm and turning her head in time to briefly catch sight of Irene. "Move!"

The girl, though tired, was now standing and stumbling sideways as she swung her staff through the air. A toxic orb landed just where she had been moments before, dissipating against the glass. A few of the shadows that had snuck around were quickly destroyed by the light spiraling about Irene's staff, evaporating into mist. Limping about the platform to escape the falling orbs and shadows that were chasing her, Irene's eyes shimmered silver-and-gold for just a second as panic temporarily colored her expression.

Considering her position, there was only so much area Irene could move about without distancing herself further from Maria. And as such the girl nearly fell off the edge of platform again, but thanks to her limp slowing her down Irene was able to catch herself from accidentally stepping off into the abyss faster than last time. Maria, seeing she was fine, refocused her attention on the Darkside and leapt in the air to avoid its incoming hand, the creature having moved to crush her on his arm. As Maria soared through the air down towards the ground, she let out a series of combos against the creature's arm-slashing it up and leaving several nasty wounds.

_"You must step forward."_

Irene nearly jumped and fell to her doom when the voice spoke in her head again, the girl having not expected it after so much silence.

_"The Light shines brightest in the Dark,_

_but if you stand too close… your glow will be extinguished._

_You must not be afraid of it."_

She was even more lost now. Seeing a few shadows creeping towards her, the Darkside creating more from the pool of black surrounding the fist he had planted once more onto the glass, Irene sidestepped and sweeped her weapon through the air near the ground. What was the voice trying to tell her?

It was saying she shouldn't be afraid… of something that could kill her?

And yet… the voice's words reminded her a little bit of Lexaeus' warning when she asked about a few of the other members. She understood why she should be wary of people, that was a natural given, but she didn't understand why she shouldn't be afraid of something that could potentially end her life.

Unless… it was talking about something else. But what? Irene's head was spinning and throbbing all at once, making her vision blur slightly. Squinting, the girl reached out with her staff and poked at a Heartless that had flattened itself to the ground, taking a few cautious steps back. If there was just a way to get rid of all these creatures  _and_ the Darkside…

Wait. If the Heartless do in fact come from Maria… then once they defeat the Darkside Maria can leave Irene's heart. All that would be left would be the little shadows, right? She turned her head, snapping her gaze up to the woman struggling to close the pool of darkness the Darkside was expanding. If there was just a way to get it to stop creating, to distract it long enough for Maria to land a few more blows…

_"Listen to your heart."_

Memories of the fight with Holly flashed through Irene's mind. The staff seemed to pulse in her hands, the tendrils of light swirling around it increasing in brightness and intensity. Irene's eyes flickered around the platform, observing the shadows approaching and the details on the stained glass. The warmth she had felt back then…

_"If you hear what it has to say…"_

Irene stepped forward, staff raised high in the air. Images of a blond boy flashed through her mind, memories that were not her own seeming to guide her in her movements. Silver slivers danced in the brown of her eyes, the white shimmering with a brilliant rose gold. An energy flowed through Irene's body and transferred into her staff, a feeling unlike anything she had felt before the fall into her heart.

A Heartless moved closer, slowly raising itself out of the ground in front of her in preparation to attack. Heart racing in her chest, almost tingling from the energy surge, the young girl brought the staff down with a mighty swing.

_"It will surely assist you."_

The decorative heart cut through the blackened creature, the golden dangling rings hitting the glass platform with a loud and powerful clang. It seemed to echo around them, travelling through the ground and into the air. The tendrils of light were nearly blinding as they spread like tree branches across the platform, shaking the glass. The sudden earthquake knocked the Heartless running at Irene off balance, sending them flying through the air and crashing into the glass. It even went so far as to knock the Darkside's hand out of the black pool it had made, forcing the gargantuan creature to reel back and retract its arm in an attempt to regain its composure.

The bright cascade of light shocked Maria for a brief moment - closing her eyes against its brightness - before the quake sent the Darkside and herself off balance. The swirling pool dissipated now that the Darkside was no longer able to keep it open. She could sense it even without seeing it. Irene had found her magic.

 _Good job, kid_. Maria thought as she leapt from the ground, her heart reaching out - feeling for the darkness she knew was before her. She felt herself flip in the air before she dove straight and true, bringing both blades together in a gleaming arc of molten bronze set in flame. The action was swift; filled with years of rage, resent, regret, but also something else. Something foreign and new to her but still as hot and burning as her swords: Pride.

In a single sharp swing, and a scream befitting the loudest of warcries, she brought her blades down across the head of the Darkside. Her swing was so hard and fast it sent her cutting through it straight down it's torso; slicing through flesh and shadow alike before her swords struck home on the mosaic glass of the platform. The metallic clang ringing like a struck bell. It was only then, after the ringing has sounded in her ears that she open her eyes. Standing up to her full height to watch as the Darkside slowly split in two, shadows trying to hold it together but to no avail.

Irene stumbled towards Maria, barely keeping herself upright after the large earthquake she had somehow created. It was now or never, and if she didn't speak up for once there was a huge chance she wouldn't have a life left. "M-Maria! Maria, the…" The small girl cringed, not wanting to say it, before blurting out the words haunting her mind. "The Heartless- they… they come from darkness, right? A-And… your heart is pure darkness, isn't it?!"

The woman's sharp gaze turned to her, darkening and almost sending Irene into a cowering state, but the child forced herself to keep talking.

"Your heart… is darkness itself, right? The only way for the Heartless to get here… would have to be  _through_  darkness. A-And the stronger the darkness the stronger the Heart...less?" Irene questioned, now looking past Maria to where the Darkside was slowly fading. She looked terrified and concerned as she flickered her gaze between Maria and what remained of the Darkside.

Crimson eyes turned to look back, seeing that the large defeated form of the Darkside had shrunk down to a smaller shape, seething with inky black darkness and violet fumes. She turned towards it completely, eyes widening ever so slightly as she saw the mass take a familiar form; the creature standing up to its full height to stare with haunting black and gold eyes back at her.

It was then that Maria knew Irene was right; the Heartless had made it into Irene's heart because of her.

She drew them into the girl's heart like a moth comes to flame.

Maria  _made_  the bridge.

She knew this truer than anything; and she knew this because it was her face she saw staring back at her. Standing before Maria was Maria herself, formed of shadow and darkness to gaze deep into her soul. For the first time in her life Maria finally understood what it was the Mouse and Wizard always saw when they looked at her.

When they looked at her - even as a child - they always saw the blackened monster which stood across from her.

And she hated that.

Slowly, almost as though in a haze, Maria brought up her sword, stepping forward slowly as she eased the blade into the chest of her counterpart. Stepping closer still until the hilt of her blade pressed against the others chest; ruby and gold peering into the other in a quiet understanding. As the other slowly vanished, Maria could have sworn she saw it smile just before it vanished. A silent thought forming between them before she finally let her swords vanish with what was left of the other.

Despite everything that had been said to her,  _done_  to her, Maria would not be the monster they sought. She would be more than that, more than  _them_.

 _I am more than what they would make me_.

"M-Maria…?" Came the quiet squeak of Irene's timid voice, jarring Maria from her thoughts. She turned back to the child, seeing her cling to the staff as though it was the only thing keeping her grounded. Or at least keeping her from falling again.

"Yeah, kid?" She asked, her exhaustion finally showing on her eyes and face.

"A-a-are you okay?"

"Yeah." She started, looking over to where the remaining few Shadows were, as if waiting for her command now that the Darkside and her other were gone. "Yeah, I'm good."

Irene nodded hesitantly, clenching and unclenching her small fists from her staff, "I think-"

"I should go." Maria interjected, startling Irene for a moment.

"W-what?"

"You said it yourself, I'm the cause of the Heartless being in your heart. And  _that_ ," she said as she glanced briefly away, eyes taking on a distance look, "that was proof enough of that…"

"Maria, that wasn't...it's not...Whatever that was, it's not you. Okay? It… It's just not."

"Do you think you can take care of them without me here?" She asked, deflecting the statement, "I know you found your magic. I could feel it, and I can still feel it now." A small smile crossed her face, cocking her head to the side a bit, "It's weak, but it's there. The giant's gonna be pleased."

Irene blinked for a moment at that, thinking, "Giant...oh! You mean Lexaeus!" Wait, why would he be proud of her? The girl only become more confused.

Maria laughed- like,  _truly_ laughed. A sound so foreign and unimaginable Irene wondered if she was inside a dream after all. Irene decided she liked the sound. This happy Maria was much better than the angry one. "Who else would I mean?"

"Well, everyone is the Organization is, like, really tall, so…" They fell into a sort of awkward silence at that. Just standing before each other, both unsure of how to proceed. It was when one of the Shadows made to leap at them and Maria held out a quick hand and a shout that the tension lifted. The Shadow had abruptly stopped, halting in front of them and gazing up at her as if awaiting instruction. Expectant. Maria blinked, startled by its obedience.

"Guess you're right after all…"

"Y-yeah..."

Hazel eyes finally turned back to look at brown, the crimson and black having faded at last, "Well, I'm leaving these to you. Don't get yourself killed." She said as she backed up to the edge of the platform.

"Wait!" Irene's voice took on a frantic edge, one hand reaching out blindly in the air for a brief moment before pulling back to her chest shakily. Her eyes darting to the ground the moment Maria made eye contact again, one brown arched over clear hazel eyes. Taking a deep breathe, Irene glanced back up at the fury, unsure, "What's going to happen now?"

"Now? I'm going to leave your heart. And  _you_  are going to finish off the shadows and come back."

"Not that. I-I meant…" she gestured awkwardly between them, gaze darting about, "us."

"Us." Maria repeated, letting the word settle on her tongue. As if not sure what the word really meant. She let silence settle between them for a moment, keen eyes watching the minute fidgeting the smaller girl did under her gaze. "We'll tell the others what happened." She started, crossing her arms, "and then we'll have Xaldin make us some tea."

Blinking, almost confused by the statement, she stared, "T-tea?"

"Tea." Maria confirmed with a nod, "You have magic now. That means we start your training so you can properly defend yourself;  _and,_ " she added the last part, emphasizing the word to make sure Irene was paying attention, "so you can make a proper decision on what it is you want to do. Now that you know that we weren't lying about Keepers and magic."

"O-okay. I just...I still don't really understand all of this."

"It takes time. You can make that. Eventually." gazing off in the distance, Maria eyed her platform, watching as the middle of the mosaic bridge dissolved into nothing as she braced her foot against the edge of Irene's platform. "You have questions; I get that. But we'll get to that another day. For now, just take care of the Shadows and wake up. Think you can do that?"

"Yeah, b-but how are you going to leave? You just appeared and-"

"The easiest part is the fall. Try not to die, kid." And with that, Maria tilted back, falling backwards off the edge of the platform and out of Irene's line of sight.

Irene's eyes widened as Maria sudden fell. Reaching out blindly, knowing she was too far away, "Maria!" Rushing to the edge, she collapsed to her hands and knees. Staff still firmly held in one hand as she gazed down frantically into the dark, seeing nothing but inky black surrounding the tower of her platform. But then, she saw it; red and gold sparks floating in the darkness before slowly disappearing. It confused her, how Maria could appear and yet suddenly disappear into nothing.

How she hated her but defended her all the same. It didn't make any sense, and yet, it seemed to be wholly Maria. And Irene couldn't imagine her being any other way.

A light shifting sound against the glass caught her attention, causing her to glance back and see the remaining Shadows lurking about. Without their Mistress's presence, they were free to do as they pleased.

"...Freaking fraggle monkeys…" Irene breathed, watching the large swarm of shadows starting to make their way towards her. Shaking her head and ignore the dizziness, the girl got into a lousy stance and readied herself to start running again.

...

The members of the castle stared at the unmoving forms of the two girls. Demyx shifting from foot to foot as both light and dark grew and faded in interchanging rhythms around the women, as though fighting one another yet in a seemingly perfect balance. After a particularly bright burst came from Irene, the two were engulfed in a swirl of red and gold; making it difficult to see them through the glow.

With a hiss of irritation, Axel drew back, fists clenched, "To hell with this. I'm through with waiting."

"W-what are you going to do?" Demyx squeaked as he watched Axel move to the back of the room.

"I'm waking them up." He said as he outstretched his arms. Fire swirling around his hands before he clenched his fists, his chakrams appearing in hand.

Vexen scoffed at the fire user's recklessness, "You will not break through her field. Her defensive magic is stronger than your ego, you simpleton."

"I don't see you coming up with a better idea!" He snapped, glaring daggers at the scientist. The temperature rising by several degrees on his half of the lab. Vexen quickly retaliated with his own icy stare, the temperature on  _his_ side of the room dropping by several degrees.

Xaldin stepped between them, voice stern and eyes hard, "That is enough. You know as well as I that you will not break through the barrier. Any interference with them now would prove more dangerous than beneficial."

"The guard's right, hothead. You fuck up and the Superior won't waste any time dusk'in ya." Xigbar cut in, arms waving about to emphasize his point as a manic smile spread across his face, "And you know know as well as I do that he ain't the forgivin' sort."

His shoulders tensed for a split second at that before emerald eyes turned to the floor, his shoulders sagging slightly, "I can't just sit here and wait." He turned to Xaldin at that, knowing he would be the only one to understand, "We have to try something."

Violet looked over sharp features before softening ever so slightly. To anyone else but Lexaeus or Axel, it almost wouldn't be noticable. But Axel knew- he'd received that look time and time again as Lea. Unfortunately, it also meant he knew what was coming next, "It is not our place."

"Fuck off." Axel spat, hands clenching tight on his chakrams again as he braced himself to rush him before Demyx's shrill pitch cut through the oncoming fight.

"Guys, something's happening!"

All eyes turned to the girls, seeing the red and gold bleed together to form a bright sphere, hardening into solid form. As quickly as it had solidified, cracks had started to form over it an black and white lines. Those cracks slowly formed over Maria's barrier like shattered glass. Seeing this, Zexion stepped forward and hovered a hand over the barrier wall ever-so-slightly.

"One of them is waking." Came the soft observation, before one visible slate-blue eye narrowed in warning as he stepped away quickly, "Get back."

"Not a chance." Axel grit under his breath before launching forward, weapons poised for attack.

All too late, Xaldin reached out to stop him, hand falling on empty air as he then tried to slow the flurry with a hard gust, "Axel!"

"Get down!" Zexion shouted as a loud pitch rang through the air, the only warning they received before the barrier shattered moments prior of Axel connecting with it. A pulse of energy so vast it thrust them all back, beakers and glass shattering and equipment falling over from the sheer force of it. Having used his wind to brace himself, Xaldin was able to remain upright long enough to catch Axel - as the redhead had been closest and took the brunt of the blast - and brace his fall as they collided with the floor.

Xaldin let out a harsh grunt from the impact, firm arms wrapped tightly around the redhead to keep him from moving and hurting either of them further. Hissing, Axel let his head tilt back to land on Xaldin's shoulder, "Hell…"

"You-" The lancer began as he glanced around the room, seeing that Lexaeus had managed to cover both Zexion and Vexen from a majority of the damage while Xigbar was laying against the ceiling. Luxord appeared with Marluxia from a glowing card as though nothing had happened. "-are a damned fool, Axel."

Laughing weakly, emerald eyes turned to glance at the man currently glaring daggers at him, "So you've told me." He gestured weakly at the arms still bracing him, "Thanks… mind letting me up now?"

Xaldin quickly released the smaller man, letting him stand up before moving to his full height as well. He distantly heard Vexen mutter something about how his lab was destroyed -  _again_  - as he looked around the new debris and dust covered room. He tried to see through the blur in around them, the dust slowly settling as he was able to make out Irene's still sleeping form before -

"Where's Maria?" Axel questioned, moving forward hesitantly past where the barrier wall had been moments before. He looked about from where Irene was to where Maria had been moments before, the sudden and apparently lack of a fiery woman startling most of the users in the room. Green eyes scanned about the slowly settling dust, fists clenching in agitation and something Axel was slowly recognizing as... worry...?'

_Where the hell did she go? The kid couldn't have offed her._

"Xaldin, I don't-?"

"Ease up there, hotshot." Xigbar cut in from his vantage point on the ceiling. His single gold gaze moving from him to somewhere towards the back of the room. All eyes turned, watching as a form slowly became visible. Ink black and violet dissipating as a now all too familiar shape emerged. Red and black eyes bleeding into hazel as they fluttered open to gaze at them all.

"So the black queen lives. Lady Luck pulls through." Luxord chimed with a smile, his accent lilting easily in the quiet of the room.

Stepping forward, Axel raised his hands defensively, as if trying not to startle her as he called, "Maria?"

A shuddering breath wracked her body for a swift moment, hands trembling briefly before she shook the tremors away and focused her gaze. Seeing all eyes on her Maria shifted slightly, trying to speak before coughing away the sudden dryness of her throat. She faintly noticed Axel tensing at her movement and how Xaldin subtly shifted closer while still being poised to stop her should she run or try something reckless.

Breathing in a deep - yet painful - breath, Maria leaned back against the lab table still standing behind her. A weak yet resigned smile spreading across pale lips, "If it's all the same to you, I'd like to wait a minute before you all start bombarding me with questions."

Silence filled the room briefly before Xigbar let out a long laugh, flipping down to land both feet on the floor as he looked her over, "You're ballsy, I'll give ya that." He stepped up towards her, hands shoved in his pockets as he did so, "You look like hell, kid."

"You're not much better." She retorted, earning yet another laugh from the free shooter.

"Like I said, ballsy."

"Xigbar does not often care for the state of his appearance." Marluxia conceded as he stepped forward, moving a delicate hand through his hair. He looked her over, his keen eyes noticing the slight tremors in her hands or the slightly thinner look to her now as compared to when they had originally entered Vexen's lab. He made sure to note that it was not always grand side effects when the two girls' hearts intermingled. It is - after all - the  _smaller_ details that can lead to one's end. "As for you…" He hesitated, feeling all of the eyes boring into his back as he towered over the now weakened Keeper, knowing fully well that now was not the time to act on revenge, "you need sit. And explain."

"For once, princess...I think you're probably right."

Axel stepped up, finding a turned over chair and setting it by the table for Maria to ease into. The rest of the group either standing around her and Irene's still resting form, or sitting on the floor or tables as they waited. Expectant and curious.

"So, are you going to give us answers or are you going to find new inventive ways to destroy my lab?" Vexen sneered, clearly not keen on the idea of waiting even longer.

Maria scoffed, crossing her arms as she leaned back in the chair. She was still tense from everything that had happened - everything that will happen - but also, there was a sense of calmness now that hadn't been there before. A sense of alignment. Of what, she wasn't sure, but she was certain that she would find out soon.

"Let's get to it then- who's first?"

 


End file.
